


Bloom

by trash_heap



Series: Bloom 'verse [1]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Dom Hank, F/M, Hank is a Good Dad, Hank is bi, M/M, Other, Sumo is a good boy, Yes you read those right, ace hank, asexual hank, background ships are ben/900 and the jericrew, cole's mom is dead, hank and connor are smitten, hank and connor are soft, he has scenes with men and women, it's a porn au so there's sex, minor ships are hank's scene partners and so not really ships, nines is a good dad, porn au, pornstar hank, this is not a slowburn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-18
Updated: 2020-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-12 18:56:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 25,778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22789309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trash_heap/pseuds/trash_heap
Summary: When Connor's favorite pornstar comes into his veterinary clinic with his dog and his son, his life takes an unexpected turn.
Relationships: Hank Anderson/Connor, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Series: Bloom 'verse [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1638364
Comments: 32
Kudos: 92





	1. Chapter 1

“Good girl,” Hank rumbles, and smirks as the woman beneath him whines and squirms.

“That’s a cut!” Chloe calls out from her seat offset. 

“Shit, old man!” Tina says, laughing as Hank helps her sit up. “Good job, today.”

Hank chuckles and accepts the water bottles and towels Kamski holds out for them. “Yeah? You feelin’ okay? I didn’t go too hard on ya?”

“Babe, I feel great. You’re one of my favorite scene partners.” She winks and takes a huge chug of her water bottle.

He leans forward to give her a kiss on the forehead. Before he can fuss over her any more, she waves him off, grinning over his shoulder at her wife. She started coming to Tina’s shoots not long after they were married, interested in watching her wife work. Chloe hadn’t had a problem with it, and Jes had never made a ruckus or caused trouble. If anything Tina performed even better with her wife watching. Jes gives him a playful swat on the ass as he passes her on his way back to his room.

“Fucked her silly, old man?” She laughs as he shakes his head, grinning. 

Hank feels a wave of exhaustion wash over him as he finally collapses onto his couch, door swinging shut behind him. He cringes when there’s a knock on the door almost immediately.

“I’m off duty!” He yells, covering his face with a throw pillow.

Chloe opens the door anyway, her faithful lapdog, Kamski, following closely behind, clipboard grasped in his sweaty hands. “Hank, can you work on the 11th? We’ve got Gavin on the lineup and he’s been eager to work with you.”

“Can’t.” He bites out. “October 11th is a no work day.”

“Ah,” Chloe says, “My apologies, Hank. Of course. How about you take next week off, and we’ll see you after?”

“Hey, wait! You said the views with Gav would be - OW!”

Hank removes the pillow just in time to see Chloe slap Kamski across the back of the head.

“If you don’t learn to shut your mouth, I’ll put you in a muzzle to match that cage. Apologize.”

“Sorry, Hank. That was rude and insensitive of me.” Kamski says.

Hank raises his eyebrows, impressed. “He’s making eye contact, now?”

“Well,” she smirks and runs a hand through his hair, “my pet has finally realized that I won’t let you play with him, so he’s gotten bolder. Do you not like it? I could always correct it.”

“Nah,” Hanks says, enjoying Kamski’s almost comically large gulp of fear, “Good on him for growing some balls.”

“I keep them in my purse.” She says, and they finally leave, door closing quietly behind them.

Hank reaches up to rub his eyes and stops, sniffing his hands. With a sigh, he pulls himself upright, working on his buttons as he heads to the shower. 


	2. Chapter 2

It’s been a long day of work for Connor. A surgery, a round of vaccinations, and lots and lots of puke. He doesn’t even take his jeans off as he flops face first into his bed. Suddenly he hears the scrabbling of nails on hardwood and grins into his pillow: Frankie knows he’s home. Sure enough, Connor turns just in time to see his French bulldog thunder up his carpeted steps to reach the bed. 

“Hello, sweet boy!” Connor says, sitting up to rub him behind the ears. “You’re getting better at this.”

Frankie had been dropped off at the clinic several weeks ago. Connor’s secretary had found him tied to the front handrail and crying. It had quickly become obvious that the pup, probably just shy of a year old, was deaf. After Connor examined him and found him perfectly healthy, he’d taken him home. Connor has spent the weeks since teaching Frankie to periodically check the front window for his car, so he won’t be spooked when he can’t hear Connor come home.

Connor grins as Frankie spins in a couple circles, snorting all the while, before dropping down like his strings have been cut. He waggles his eyebrows as he looks up at the human as if to say, “You gonna join me or what?”

“Sorry, buddy. It’s almost 7:30. The Lieutenant is on soon.”

As he shoos Frankie out of the room, he briefly feels guilty at the sad face he pulls, but the sweet promise of hearing the Lieutenant whispering about all the filthy things he’d like to do wins out. Connor firmly shuts the door, strips down to his underwear, and settles in bed with the site open in front of him and a bottle of lube. His heart jumps into his throat when the audio channel switches to “LIVE.” His phone buzzes with the notification of a tweet from the Lieutenant’s twitter, no doubt letting his followers know he’s live. As he clicks the LIVE button, Connor bites his lip as that rumbling voice fills the room.

“Hey there, sweetheart. Are you ready to be good for me?”


	3. Chapter 3

Hank barely makes it in the door before two bodies slam into his legs, one furry and one suspiciously sticky.

“Pops! You’re back!” Cole screeches from where he’s latched onto Hank’s leg.

“Hey, kiddo!” He pauses as he watches Sumo lick at his son’s arm. “What did Auntie North feed you? You’re gross.”

“ _ You’re _ gross!” Cole counters.

Hank maneuvers into the kitchen, Cole giggling as he’s dragged along, still sitting on his dad’s foot. Sumo follows closely, still straining to lick the mysterious liquid from his face and arms. North looks up as they enter the kitchen, and drops her wash cloth on the table as she raises her hands in surrender. 

“In my defense, I had no idea one child could use that much jam.”

Upon closer inspection, the table and rag are stained orange. Underneath the scent of cleaner is the distinct smell of -

“Auntie North brought me smashed apricots!” Cole says, finally untangling himself from Hank’s leg to show him the jar in question on the counter. “I ate it on waffles and toast and stuff.”

“Did you eat any vegetables?” Hank says, raising a brow.

“I ate lots of fruit. That counts, right? Besides, apricots are my favorite, Pops!”

“He had an omelet with some good stuff in.” North says, meeting Hank’s accusing gaze head on. “But you can’t have breakfast for supper without waffles, Hank.”

Hank snorts and ruffles Cole’s hair, “I guess that’s fair. Why don’t you go get in the bath so Sumo will chill out?”

Cole darts off to the bathroom, Sumo running after him, letting loose one quiet “boof!” North returns to scrubbing the table as Hank grabs a beer and leftover hashbrowns. He sits when she wipes a table section dry.

“So, how’d it go? You worked with Tina today, right?”

“Yeah,” he says, leaning back in his chair, “she’s definitely going to sleep well tonight. We filmed for a while. Chloe wanted us to try out overstimulation.”

“Oooh, fun!” North breaks out in a grin and flops into the seat next to him, “I got to do that last week. Seems like Chloe’s on a roll. Maybe a series?”

“Speaking of, how’s that 'courting' going? The fellas accepted you into their throuple?”

“I never kiss and tell.” North says, winking.

“Alright, alright. Thanks for keeping Cole today. Now get lost; I know you’ve got a date tonight.”

After North leaves, Hank listens to Cole splashing around in the bathtub, singing at Sumo. He’d planned to go live tonight, but with Cole home, he isn’t quite sure he can manage it. Luckily, his live shows aren’t cams, just audio. So if he has some backups saved, no one needs to know he’s not  _ really _ live. No one pays that much attention when they just want to get off. Hank pulls out his phone, scrolling through his saved backup audios.


	4. Chapter 4

Connor sighs as the Lieutenant’s voice washes over him. He feels his shoulders loosen and wiggles to make himself more comfortable in bed. If he’s calling him “sweetheart,” Connor knows the Lieutenant is in the mood to be soft. He’s not too proud to admit that he’s relieved. While he’d be happy with anything the Lieutenant decided to dish out, Connor desperately needs someone to be sweet to him.

“I want you to get real comfy for me, baby. Can you do that? You deserve a break. Let me help you unwind. Was it a long day?”

Connor bites his lip, trying to keep himself from answering. The only one who could hear him is himself, but he’s not  _ that _ pathetic. At least, not yet. 

“There we go; let me take care of you. Now, are you ready?”

Connor can’t help the enthusiastic nod. The Lieutenant chuckles as if he could somehow tell. 

“Eager little thing, aren’t you? But I like that in a partner. I like knowing how good I can make you feel without ever touching you. You’re so good, sweetheart. Are you touching yourself? Without my permission?”

Connor yanks his fingers back from where they were creeping into his boxers.

“No, no, baby. It’s okay. You’re not in trouble. You’re too sweet to be in trouble. It’s been a hard day, hasn’t it? You can come whenever you want, baby. As many times as you want.”

Connor hums, slipping his boxers off. He has no rules except being a good boy for the Lieutenant. He can come whenever he wants. Running a finger up his cock sends a shiver up his spine. Connor knows he could jerk off now, slather himself in lube and fuck his own fist, and the Lieutenant would still tell him how sweet he is. But, patience is a virtue, and the broadcast lasts longer than it would take to come. Instead, Connor listens to the soothing timbre of the Lieutenant’s voice murmur in his ear how he’s so proud, he knows how hard Connor works. He’s so happy to have someone like him, and wants to take care of him. 

Connor eventually unclenches his hands from his sheets to shakily smear lube into his palm and then slowly fuck into his own fist. His hips stutter every time the Lieutenant says anything possessive. However, it’s never aggressive. Connor’s heart wants to beat out of his chest at the reverent way the Lieutenant speaks, almost as if he’s in awe of what he’s seeing. He tries desperately to smother the part of him that aches because he knows this isn’t real; no one is here with him. No one is proud to have him as their partner. 

“Have you come for me yet, little one?”

“No, sir. Please!” Connor gasps, tears leaking out of his eyes. When had he closed his eyes?

“Come on, sweetheart. I want you to come for me before I go. Can you do that? Can you be good for me? You’re so pretty when you come. I love seeing your face, how your body reacts to me.”

Connor speeds up, thrusting desperate into his own fist, shaking his bed with the intensity. He can’t help the sob of utter need that escapes as he squeezes his eyes tighter and grits his teeth. He’s right there. He can feel that white hot edge coming soon.

“Ahhh,” the Lieutenant sighs, sounding completely satisfied, “there’s my good baby.”

Some kind of shout punches its way out of Connor’s chest, vision going white even behind his eyelids. His legs lock up mid thrust as he feels his come splatter up his chest. With a whine, Connor drops back down, hand pumping to wring out every last drop. Over the sound of his own panting he can hear the Lieutenant signing off.

“You were so good, sweetheart. So beautiful. Thank you for letting me help you. You’re so sweet for me. Now, remember to drink your water and eat your snack.”

Connor swipes his hands and chest with his discarded boxers and fumbles for the water bottle and package of crackers on his night stand. 

“Breathe for me. Come back down. I’m right here. You did such a good job. I’m so proud of you.”

He can feel his cock throb at the praise. Whining he rolls over, squeezing his legs together as he eats a cracker and stares at his computer screen as the Lieutenant continues singing his praises. 

“Now, cover up and get some rest. Take a nap if you need to, baby. You were amazing. I can’t wait to see it again.”

There’s a moment of silence and then the blinking green dot turns to a still red. 


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning, Hank gets a text from Chloe. 

/You’ll be working with Kara and Luther, today. Their scene partners all mysteriously called in sick. We’ll reschedule in a couple weeks.

/Same time?

/Yes

Hank smiles softly. He’s missed Kara and Luther. They’d finally been able to finalize Alice’s adoption and taken several months off. He’d seen them and met Alice a while back, but he knows how busy new parents can be. Even if your new child isn’t a newborn. He opens a new message to Kara.

/Heard we’re working together today. Do you two want to grab dinner after?

/We’d love that! We have to pick up Alice and then we can meet you somewhere. 

/Great, how about that burrito stand downtown? Cole’s been dying to go, and I’m sure he’d get a kick out of hanging out with Alice again.

/Luther has, too. Excited to see you later!

Hank responds with a series of confetti emojis and thumbs up. Sumo whines at him from his station at the door. When Hank just stares at him and asks, “What?” he trots over to rest his head on his knee, huffing up at him with those sad eyes. 

“I’m sorry, buddy. I don’t have time, right now. I promise Cole and I will give a nice long W-A-L-K when we’re home. Okay?”

Hank carefully lifts his huge head off his leg as he stands. He pats his pockets to make sure everything is in place before picking up his flannel and keys. He makes it out the door and down to the studio with minimal puppy guilt. The set today is a kitchen. Hank can guess Chloe’s angle: husband and wife invite him over for dinner and he tells them how to enjoy their dessert. Corny, but always well received. 

“Hank Anderson!” a voice booms behind him.

“Luther!” Hank calls, striding over. They skip right over the manly handshake as Luther wraps his arms around Hank in a bear hug, lifting him an inch or two off the ground. “Missed you too, big guy.”

Luther sets him down, still laughing. “It’s good to see you! We weren’t planning on coming in until next week, but when Chloe called asking if we’d be willing to partner with you, we didn’t want to pass it up.”

“I’m glad you didn’t.” Hank says, voice fond. “How’s Alice doing? School okay?”

“Fine, fine. It was a bit of an adjustment but she’s making friends as well as we could have hoped for.”

Before he can respond, Hank hears an excited screech of his name and turns around to receive a speeding armful of a robed Kara. “We missed you!”

“Hey, kiddo!”

“Gentlemen and lady,” Kamski calls from his perch next to Chloe’s chair, “if you would please continue to wardrobe? We’re on a tight schedule.”

Kara rolls her eyes in his direction before tugging Hank and Luther toward wardrobe. Hank spends the next few minutes running through his ideas, thankful once again that Chloe never made them follow a definite script. He works much better when he can improve his own dialogue, and the audience seems to enjoy it, too. Distantly, he takes notice of Kara and Luther changing and murmuring quietly to each other. 

“I wish I could kiss you.” The whisper is so quiet, Hank is sure he wasn’t meant to hear him.

“You can kiss me after, when my lipstick is already a mess.”

Hank mock groans, “Get a room!”

He dodges Kara’s swat as he passes them. Once everyone has taken their places, Kamski fiddles with the lighting while Chloe takes her seat. 

“Alright, everyone! Let’s make this a good one. Action!”

“Whew! Hank says, leaning back from the table and patting his belly, “That was great, Sarah.”

“Oh, no, I didn’t make dinner!” Kara says from her spot at the sink, “That was all Wallace.”

Hank leers as Luther puts on his best bashful face and avoids eye contact. “Is that so? You’re turning into a proper housewife, Wallace. She domesticated you.”

Luther groans and presses his palm over his cock. Kara turns from her station, drying her hands off and smirking. Hank bites his lip.

“You know, sometimes I like to make him wear my apron.” She strides over to rest a palm over Hank’s broad shoulder as they watch Luther squirm, rubbing himself through his jeans. “Sometimes, only my apron.”

“Mmm, I bet that’s a pretty sight. Bet that pretty ass of yours looks real good in all those frills.”

Luther finally looks up, panting. “Yes, sir.”

“I’m sure he’d be happy to show you.” Kara purrs, pulling the aforementioned apron off. She holds it out, but yanks it back as Luther reaches for it.

“Be a good boy and ask nicely and we’ll let you play dress up for us.” Hank rumbles, “I might even let you fuck her.”

Kara laughs as Hank yanks her closer with a hand around her hips. She lays one arm around his shoulder and shakes the apron with the other. Luther slowly slips from his seat onto the floor staring up at them both as he crawls forward.

“Fuck.” Kara whispers; crawling wasn’t a part of the script, but damn if that doesn’t get her going. She whips her head over to Chloe who only shakes her head at the out of character curse.

“We’ll fix it in post. Keep going.”

Luther crawls close enough and props back on his heels, palms folded neatly in his lap. Hank rumbles his approval and both his scene partners shudder. 

“Good boy,” He says, “Now, I want you in that apron and only that apron in one minute.”

Luther strips his shirt off and falls to his ass, fumbling with his belt buckle. Kara turns her back on him, dropping the apron and straddling Hank’s wide thighs. 

“You’re our favorite dinner guest, Lieutenant.” She says, winding her arms around him.

Hank runs rough palms up her smooth legs, pushing her dress up as he goes. He hums his approval when he sees how wet she already is. “What a coincidence. You two are my favorite dessert.”

Kara groans and grinds her hips down. Hank catches her jaw in one giant paw, forcing her to keep eye contact as he slips the other hand into her panties. All cockiness is gone and she’s sweet and pliant in his arms. Glancing over her shoulder, Hank can see Luther watching hungrily, his cock tenting the flimsy little apron. He jerks his head and Luther scrambles to his feet coming to stand next to their seat. Kara strains her eyes to see him with her jaw still locked firmly in Hank’s grip. Hank pulls his hand back and slaps her thigh, making her jump. 

“You look at me, princess. I’m the boss.” He grins at the whimper he gets in return before turning his attention back to Luther. “C’mere, baby.”

Luther steps close enough for Hank to grab a firm handful of one asscheek, squeezing just this side of painful. He puffs out a ragged breath and reaches out to grasp Kara’s thigh with one hand, the other winding through Hank’s hair. Luther leans forward to rest his forehead on top of Kara as they both watch Hank. She lays her palm over his where he maintains his death grip on her leg. Hank finally releases his grip on them both, patting Kara on the face and Luther on the thigh. 

“Here’s what gonna happen: you’re gonna squirt all over my fingers and you’ll clean it up.” He looks first at Kara and then at Luther, assigning roles. 

The scene moves forward quickly after that. Luther takes up Hank’s seat and watches as his wife writhes and squirts on Hank’s fingers not once but twice. She’s shivering and twitching by the time Luther leans in to get his taste. By now, the front of the apron is starting to get soaked. He gets his mouth around her clit and sucks. Kara screeches, back bowing up from the table. She gushes over Luther’s face but flings an arm out to tug on Hank’s belt loop.

“Hank, yellow.”

Luther pulls away immediately, swiping the slick off his face and leans over her. Hank leans in on the other side. 

“Are we pushing you too hard, baby?” Luther asks, pushing her sweaty hair off her face.

“No, not - Maybe?” She wavers, biting her lip and looking at Hank. “Can we focus on Luther for a while? I’m - I’m a little overstimulated. I think I need a break.”

“Do you want to call off the scene? Because we absolutely can. You’re more important than a come shot.”

Kara snorts out a laugh at that and shakes her head, “No, I’m okay. I can keep doing the scene, but my body needs a break. You could have Luther fuck my throat?”

“That sounds good to me!” Luther supplies, eagerly.

“Of course it does, bud.” Hank says, chuckling. “Alright, if you’re sure. Chloe! We’re good!”

With a thumbs up from Chloe, they move back into their former positions. Luther resumes licking the slick off Kara’s thighs.

“That’s enough, baby. Let’s work on you.” 

Hank pulls Luther upright reaching up to pull him in for a deep, slow kiss. Kara sits up on her elbows to watch, feet idly kicking as she smiles up at them. Luther feels his breath catch when Hank grasps him through the apron. It’s not exactly comfortable, but at this point, Hank reckons anything would feel good for Luther’s poor, neglected cock. 

“We’ve been neglecting you.” Hank coos, following that line of thought. “You’ve been so sweet for us. You deserve a reward.”

“Yes, please!” Luther gasps, hips jerking forward.

With a look from Hank, Kara slips off the table and onto her knees. Hank retreats to a chair, legs spread wide as he watches Luther eagerly hold up the apron so Kara can sink her mouth over him. He gives them quiet directions from his chair.

“C’mon, dollface. I know you can take more than that. Don’t you want to feel him in your throat?” This makes Kara grumble and take the last few inches, effectively cutting off her own breathing. 

“Look at you, big boy. You’ve been so good. So controlled. How about you fuck her face?”

Luther whines and starts rutting into Kara’s face while whispering, “Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you, sir!”

Kara gives Hank a discrete signal that Luther’s going to come soon and Hank comes to stand behind his stuttering hips. He takes a minute to suck on one finger and then presses up to his back, dragging that one finger down to Luther’s hole. His body begins to shake and his babbling no longer makes any kind of sense. Hank presses the tip of his finger almost inside.

“Come.” He whispers, and Luther does. He shouts as if he’s been wounded, holding Kara’s head steady and far enough away not to choke. Hank reaches around to gently pull her face back enough for the come shot all over her face. All three are panting when Hank finally groans out his only written line for the scene.

“Mmm, delicious.”


	6. Chapter 6

Connor’s been in a great mood all day. He feels refreshed after his “date” the night before, and so when he hears he has a new patient, he’s excited. 

“Mr. Anderson says he hasn’t been wagging his tail, but otherwise seems okay.” Gavin says, leaning a hip on the doorframe to Connor’s office.

“Not wagging at all, or just not lifting?”

“Uhh,” he looks down at the clipboard in his hand, “doesn’t say. Want me to ask?”

“No, I can do it.” Connor smiles and reaches for the chart as he passes his assistant, “Thanks, Reed.”

“Why are you so fuckin’ chipper? You get laid, Boss?”

“GAVIN!” Connor squawks and smacks his shoulder.

He pointedly ignores the snickers behind him as he knocks on the exam room door.

“Come in!” Shouts a child’s voice.

The first thing Connor notices upon entry is the giant St. Bernard dwarfing his exam table, and the little boy hugging his neck. 

“Well, hello! This must be Sumo. What’s your name?”

“I’m Cole! And that’s my Pops!”

Connor turns to the chairs where the boy’s father sits and feels his smile freeze on his face. His eye twitches.

“Hey, doc.” An intimately familiar voice rumbles as the large man holds out a hand to shake, “Hank Anderson, nice to meet you.”

“Uh?” Connor says, stupidly. “I, um. Sorry, I’m Dr. Connor Arkait. You can call me Dr. Connor.”

He knows he’s staring. He knows his eyes are like a deer in headlights. He knows he’s probably going to pass out if he doesn’t get ahold of himself. He knows all this, and yet he still finds himself staring until the man he’s only ever known as the Lieutenant raises one furry eyebrow.

“You alright, Dr. Connor?”

“Yes!” Connor blurts out, feeling his face burn. Professionalism, right. “I apologize. I haven’t had enough coffee, apparently.”

Both adults laugh awkwardly and Connor scoots over to Sumo. 

“Does he have any dietary restrictions?”

“No,” Hank looks puzzled. “Do you think it’s an allergy or?”

“Oh! No, I just wanted to be sure before I fed him a T-R-E-A-T. If that’s okay?”

“Sumo eats lotsa treats!” Cole offers up. “He’s a real big boy, so he eats like a horse. Right, Pops?”

“Well, he eats real food lots, kiddo. Treats are supposed to be an occasional thing.” Hank looks at Connor, as if asking him to confirm.

“That’s right!” Connor says, smiling down at Cole. “But I think a doctor visit is definitely a special occasion, don’t you?”

“Yeah! Does he get a sticker, too? I always get a sticker when I go to the doctor.”

“I don’t know that Sumo would appreciate a sticker,” he says, fishing out a milk bone to feed the big dog and petting his shaggy head. “But I’m sure you could take a sticker for him. How’s that?”

“Cool!”

“Okay, now. My assistant tells me that you’ve brought Sumo in because he’s not wagging his tail. Is it not moving at all, or not lifting to wag?”

“It wags a tiny bit, but he never lifts it. Otherwise, he seems perfectly happy.” Hank offers a rueful smile, and Connor tries to ignore the way his heart lurches in response.

“Hm, has he had any injuries lately?”

“Not that we know of. Do you remember anything, Cole?”

“Nope!”

“I’m going to take a look at Sumo’s tail. Mr. Anderson would you like to hold him, or should I call my assistant? Either one is perfectly fine. I just don’t want him to jump and fall.”

Hank snorts and stands, “I’ll do it. Gavin may be a gym rat, but he’s not as strong as he looks.”

“Oh,” Connor says, maneuvering to Sumo’s side. “You know Gavin?”

“We work together, sometimes.”

Connor wants to ask what that means, but he sees Hank pinken and drops it when he coughs awkwardly. Cole takes up his dad’s vacant seat, looking worried as Hank wraps two arms around Sumo. The dog in question licks up the side of his face, but otherwise doesn’t move. Hank scratches his fingers through his thick fur and mumbles into the top of his head about how he’s okay and talking through what Connor’s going to do. It’s cute. Once he reaches Sumo’s tail, he twitches a leg and whimpers quietly. 

“What’s wrong?” Cole says, panicking.

“He’s okay, bug. I promise. Dr. Connor is gonna take care of him.”

“Cole? Would you like to come stand in front of Sumo and talk to him? Give him a good pet. He’s just a little scared but I’ll go as fast as I can, okay?”

Cole sniffs, eyes watery. He nods and comes to stand in front of the table. “I’m gonna give you another treat when we get home, okay? And I’ll show you my sticker, too.”

Connor smiles and gently prods at Sumo’s tail. With a satisfied nod, he pats him on the leg. “Alright, you can let go, now.”

“What’s the diagnosis?”

“His tail is broken.”

“Broken?” Cole asks, looking sad again. “Does he need a cast?”

“No, no cast. You said he hasn’t had any injuries lately. I’d say that the ol’ boy probably broke it because he wagged it too hard.”

“You’re sh - kidding me.” Hank says, rubbing a hand down his face and laughing. 

“No, sir. I’ve seen it before. He must be a very happy boy.” 

“What’s that gonna cost me?”

“Well,” Connor says, writing a prescription, “I’m going to give you a script for an anti-inflamatory. If he’s showing that he’s in pain, but a warm pack at the base of his tail. Other than that, just make sure he rests and takes it easy. He’ll be wagging again in no time.”

“You dolt!” Hank says, reaching down to flop the dog’s ears. “You’re too happy!”

Sumo’s tail wags once, weakly, but he reaches up to lick Hank’s face again. Hank straightens back up and takes the paper Connor hands him.

“You’ll be able to fill that at any regular pharmacy. If you have any problems or Sumo seems to be getting worse, call us.”

“So, Sumo is okay?” Cole asks, wiping his nose on his sleeve.

“Yes! Sumo is going to be just fine. He just can’t play as much, right now.”

“Thank you, Dr. Connor.” Hank says, holding his hand out again.

“Yeah, thank you!” Cole pipes up.

“No problem. If you’ll give me a hand, I’ll help you get Sumo down.”

“Don’t worry about it, doc.” 

Connor gawks as Hank scoops Sumo up like the dog is still a puppy and gently sets him back on the ground. He has to firmly remind himself that he is at work and that getting a boner in front of a client and his child is vastly inappropriate. No matter how badly Connor wants those arms lifting him against a wall, opening him up, making him -

“Uh, right. Wow. Okay. If you’ll follow me to the front, I’ll give Gavin your notes and he can get you a couple stickers. Sound okay, Cole?”

“I get two stickers?” Cole looks like Christmas came early.

“Well, you were awfully brave, too! I’m sure Sumo wouldn’t have felt half as safe without you looking out for him!”

Connor doesn’t often describe people as starry eyed, but Cole’s eyes look positively cartoonish at this bit of praise. Hank chuckles as Cole picks up Sumo’s leash and begins to babble at him as they walk out. Connor gestures for Hank to go first and follows to the front desk.

“Gavin, Mr. Anderson needs some medicine for Sumo.” He says, leaning on the counter. “I don’t think we’ll need a follow up, but I wanted you to put his medication on record.”

“Broken tail, huh?” Gavin says, peeking at the chart and then speaking over the counter to Sumo. “That’s rough, buddy.”

“Dr. Connor says he wagged it too hard because he was really happy. Can I have my stickers, now?” Cole says, peeking over the counter on his tiptoes. 

“Cole!” Hank scolds.

“Sorry, can I have my stickers now, please?”

“Not what I meant.” Hank says, rolling his eyes as Connor reaches to unroll a couple puppy stickers.

“Like I said, if you have any concerns, please don’t hesitate to call. Even if you think they’re silly.” 

Sumo and Cole are shuffling out the door toward the car when Hank turns that dazzling smile back on Connor and he feels his face flush all over again. 

“Thanks again, Dr. Connor. We’ll see you.”

“See you, Lieu- Mr. Anderson!”

The world seems to slow to a crawl around him as Connor feels his whole body catch fire in embarrassment. His vision narrows to the look of dawning comprehension on Hank’s face. Connor expects the man to look angry, to perhaps storm away and find a different vet, one who wouldn’t have seen his “work” online. Instead, he smirks and leans on the counter, eyes on Connor as he blatantly looks him up and down.

“Y’know, I’m really worried about Sumo. Broken bones are no joke. Do you have a card I could have? To keep your number on hand?”

Connor’s world tilts on its axis as he realizes Hank is asking for his personal number. He fumbles to pull a business card out of the holder next to Gavin’s desk, scratching his number down on the back.

“O-of course. Here’s my personal number, should you need to reach me after hours.”

“Thanks, doc.” Hank winks. “See ya, Gav.”

And with a final wave, he follows Cole and Sumo outside. Connor stares after him, mouth gaping like a fish.

“Damn, doc!” Gavin crows, and Connor is grateful for the empty office.

“I’m - I’m going to lie down. I’m taking my lunch early.” 

“Hey!” Gavin yells after him as he stumbles back to his office, “It’s only 10:30! Connor!”


	7. Chapter 7

Hank waits until Cole is tucked away in bed before he texts Connor. It’s later than he’d have wanted, but he knew Connor still had a full day of work and he didn’t want to start something they couldn’t finish. So, bed time it is. Luckily, Cole’s bed time is early, as it’s a school night. The kid’s out like a light by seven, and Hank settles into his bed as he pulls out his phone.

/You’re awfully cute when you blush, Dr. Connor.

/Thank you? And you can just call me Connor. I apologize if I embarrassed you or made you uncomfortable, today.

/Not at all, sweetheart. I’m kinda flattered that you couldn’t contain yourself. Want me that bad, huh?

Hank grins to himself as those three bouncing dots disappear and reappear several times as Connor tries to formulate a response. He can just picture that pretty flush and he wants to know how far it goes. 

/Yes, sir. 

/Bet you’re blushing real pretty all over again, aren’t you?

/Yes, I can’t help it.

/Wanna send me a picture, baby? No pressure, if you don’t want to.

“Oh, sweetheart,” Hank murmurs aloud when the photo comes through. “I’m going to  _ wreck _ you.”

Connor’s flushed pink from the tips of his ears down to his chest. He’s taken his shirt off and Hank can see the soft little shorts he’s wearing already starting to fill out. He can’t see his eyes, but Hank gets a close view of him biting that soft lip. One hand lies on his belly as if he was trying to be casual. 

/You’re beautiful, Con. All that for me?

/Just for you, Lieutenant.

Hank grimaces. He doesn’t tend to let people call him Lieutenant outside of work scenes. The Lieutenant is a persona, one heavily influenced by Hank himself, but a persona nonetheless. He uses it to distance himself from the viewers, but there’s no one to distance himself here.

/You can call me Hank, you know.

There’s no response for several long moments and Hank feels his heart sink. Maybe he’d gone too far, made it too personal. Connnor might only be interested in the Lieutenant, not Hank. He scrubs his hands over his face and groans. Of course he’d just wanted the fantasy. His phone chimes with a new text before he can barrel down the road to self-deprecation. 

/Okay, Hank. 

He puffs out a heavy breath, relieved that Connor wasn’t freaked out. All too often hook ups would stop being interested either when he told them to call him Hank, or when they realized he really wasn’t going to be taking his pants off, despite never having seen him do it on camera before. 

/So, tell me, were you listening to my latest stream? Maybe watched my last video?

/I watch all your videos, and try to always catch a stream. Sorry, is that creepy?

/I’m flattered, Connor. How do you feel about something a little more personal?

He chuckles again as Connor writes and rewrites his response, likely trying not to sound too eager. Hank thinks it’s entirely too cute.

/What did you have in mind?

Before he can lose his nerve, Hank flips over to Connor’s contact and calls. It barely makes it through the first ring before Connor picks up.

“Hello?” He breathes.

“Hey there, doc. You sound a little out of breath.”

“I, oh. Um. Well, I just-”

“Were you touching yourself, baby?” Hank purrs, reveling in the way it makes Connor’s breath catch.

“Yes, sir.” He squeaks out. “Is that okay?”

“Of course. It’s just you and me, right now. Why don’t you get out of those uncomfy shorts and tell me what you’re doing?”

There’s frantic rustling on the other side and a quiet curse as Connor no doubt wrestles his shorts off. Hank tries not to chuckle at his eagerness. “I’m, uh. I got them off. And it’s just, just skin, now.”

Hank doesn’t quite contain his laughter this time as he hears the smack of skin on skin. Connor’s facepalmed at his awkward wording. “You’re naked, you mean. Are you nervous, baby? You don’t need to be.”

“I’m sorry. I’m killing the mood, aren’t I?”

“No, you’re perfect.” Hank pauses to enjoy the whimper that follows this statement. “Tell me how you were touching yourself, Con.”

“Oh! I had lube and I was stroking my - stroking my cock, sir. Slowly.”

“Mmm, were you hoping I’d call? Tell you what to do? Tell you how good you are?”

Connor groans low into the receiver, “Yes, Hank.”

Hearing his name in that tone of voice makes Hank’s heart jump. “You sound so pretty, honey. Keep going for me.”

It’s quiet for a moment apart from Connor’s breathing and the faint sound of slick motions. Hank thinks he could go all night like this, listening to Connor pleasure himself while he tells him how sweet he is.

“H-Hank?”

“Yeah, baby?”

“You called me honey. I’ve never heard you say that before.”

Hank’s heart stutters once again; this boy is going to give him a heart attack. He hadn’t even realized the pet name had slipped out, but Connor is right. He never uses “honey” during scenes or streams. 

“I guess I did, didn’t I? You wanna be my honey, Connor?”

He can guess the answer if Connor’s whine and the sound of him speeding up is any indication. 

“Yes! Please? I’ll be your honey. I’ll be sweet. Whatever you want!”

“What if I wanted you to take your hand off your cock?”

The slick sounds stop abruptly, followed by the sound of Connor slapping a hand down onto his bed. He takes a minute to bask in the rush of having a partner as obedient as Connor.

“Okay, honey. You can touch yourself again. Slowly. Tell me what you were imagining before I called you.”

“I - oh, Hank! I was thinking about sitting in your lap, and you -_ah!_ \- you fingering me slow and holding me in place while you - Mm! - whispered in my ear. My cock was trapped against your stomach and you had a few buttons undone. Hank, _please!_”  
“Keep going, Con. Tell me everything. You’re doing so well. You’re such a good boy for me. So sweet. I love hearing you.”

“Y-you had a few buttons undone and I could put my hand on your chest. I wanted to hide my face but you made me look at you.”

“I want you to know who’s doing this to you. Who’s making you feel so good.” Hank rumbles, pleased with this fantasy.

“Yes!” Connor bursts out, “Yes, I feel so good Hank. You feel so good.”

“Is that everything, honey?”

“No, just, one more thing.”

“Tell me, baby, and I might let you come.”

Connnor keens in desperation, and Hank swears he can hear the bed squeak.

“You pull me in and tell me to kiss you. And I do and - Oh, Hank, please! I need it; I  _ need _ -”

“Come for me, Connor.”

Hank smiles as Connor wails, breath stuttering. He gives him a moment to

come down, content to listen to him pant. 

“You were so pretty, honey. Thank you. You feel good?”

“Yes, Hank.” Connor sighs, sounding completely exhausted but happy.

“Good, I’m glad I could make you feel this good. Imagine how much better it would feel if I could be there with you.”

He’s certain Connor can hear the shark-like grin on his face as the other man groans.

“You’re going to kill me, Hank.”

“No, I won’t. I like playing with you too much.”

“Oh.” Connor breathes, as if it was a surprise that Hank actually enjoyed this.

“Do you have plans tomorrow?” Hank asks, before he can lose his nerve.

“Other than work, no. Why? Did you want to call again?”

“I was wondering if maybe you’d like to go on a date? And Cole is going to a sleepover this weekend so I thought -”

“YES! A hundred times, yes.”

Hank chuckles at his enthusiasm, “Alright, honey. Why don’t you send me your address and I’ll come pick you up at 7?”

As they finish making plans and say their goodnights, Hank feels lighter than he has in years. If he walks with a spring in his step tomorrow, well, no one could blame him.


	8. Chapter 8

Connor floats through the work day, still high on Hank’s attention and the promise of an even more interesting weekend. Gavin gives him a knowing look as he twirls the keys at closing time. Connor sticks his tongue out at him, just to see him pull a face.

“Have a good weekend with your bear, Connor!” He shouts as he slams the door to his rusted out Jeep.

As he finishes locking the building, Connor feels his phone vibrate. He can’t suppress an excited hum when he sees it’s Hank calling. “Hello!”

“Hey, honey.” He says, sounding fond.

“I can’t wait to see you later!”

“I’m excited to see you too, doc. I had a quick question: you like dogs right?”

“I like dogs.” Connor says, rolling his eyes. “I wouldn’t be a very good vet if I didn’t. I have a dog, too.”

“Good, because I was planning on taking you and Sumo to the dog park.”

“Oh! That sounds fun! I can bring Frankie! But, with Sumo’s tail, I think we should only stay a little while.”

“I know, but he’s been cooped up inside the past couple days and I can tell he misses his walks. There’s a long trail we could walk. What kind of dog do you have? Are they okay with big dogs?”

“Frankie’s a French bulldog, and he loves everyone. He is deaf, though. So, keep that in mind.”

“Alright, Con. Sumo and I will pick you two up later.”

“Can’t wait!”

It’s getting dark by the time Connor gets home, a surprise purchase in tow. He’s greeted at the door by a very excitable Frankie, his nails tapping out a tune as he dances for Connor’s attention. They sit outside for a few moments while Connor cuts the tags off the new sweater he bought for their date.

“Frankie!” Connor calls, and then catches himself. Instead, he stands and waves his arms around, catching his eye. When he pats his lap, Frankie comes zooming back, tongue lolling. He’s all too happy to wiggle into the polka dot sweater while Connor coos over how handsome he is. With a final snort, he darts back into the yard, running in circles. Once he’s done, he trots back and sits at Connor’s feet.

“Come on, it’s my turn to gussy up.”

Connor sets Frankie up with some dinner and fresh water before taking a shower. Although there’s no one around, he still finds himself blushing as he prepares for whatever Hank might have in store. He’s under no impression that he won’t put out on the first date. He’s already put out  _ before _ the first date. No going back now, not that he’d want to. Connor slips a hand down his stomach, thinking of Hank rumbling in his ear last night, but drops the thought before he can get carried away. When he comes tonight, he wants it to be with Hank’s permission and hopefully, by his hands.

Picking an outfit had been the most frustrating ordeal. He’d spent most of his day mentally going through his wardrobe and planning different combinations like some 90s PC fashion game. He’d settled on something simple, since he wasn’t sure where they were going. Now that he knows they’re going for a walk, it’s perfect. Connor tosses each article onto his bed as he finds it: cozy knit maroon sweater, dark jeans with a few artful rips, his favorite socks (pumpkins and leaves on a brown background), and a worn in pair of dark brown boots. 

He takes his time getting dressed, trying to calm his racing heart. Never in his life has he been this nervous for a date. But when has he ever been on a date with anyone like Hank? The remaining time till 7 he spends pacing, Frankie watching him from his spot in the recliner, eyebrows twitching as he follows. When the doorbell finally rings, Connor nearly jumps out of his skin. 

“Okay!” He says, striding over to the door, “Okay, I can do this. It’s fine. It’s just the man you’ve been jacking off to for years.”

As soon as the door opens, a bouquet of flowers is shoved toward him. He blinks down at the huge bundle of pink roses and then up at Hank’s blushing face.

“I’m a little rusty at this, obviously.” Hank says, rubbing the back of his neck, “Flowers are still an acceptable gift, right?”

“Hank,” Connor breathes as he takes them from him, “they’re lovely. Do you want to come in while I put them in a vase?”

“Sure, Sumo too?” When Connor nods he turns back to his car and whistles, “Sumo! Out!”

Connor watches as Sumo ducks his head below the window. His mouth drops open as there’s a ka-thunk as the door handle is pulled and Sumo comes tumbling out of the now open door. Hank pats the side of his leg and Sumo sits, panting up at Connor.

“That’s amazing!” Connor moves aside to let them in. “How did you -”

“Failed service dog. He learned all the tricks, but he’s too friendly so sometimes he just ignores his training in favor of pets.”

Their conversation is cut short by a frustrated snort followed by a tiny warning growl from the couch. Hank looks around, pretending he can’t place the sound. 

“Sounds like you got a mouse, Connor.”

“Be nice.” Connor chides but can’t quite hide his smile. He sets the flowers in the sink and goes to calm Frankie. “Hey, buddy. It’s okay.”

He can feel Hank’s eyes on him as he motions for Frankie to keep his eyes on him, signing the word “calm.” Frankie snorts again but holds eye contact as he lays down. When he holds position, Connor smiles, signs “good boy,” and scratches behind his ears. 

“Okay, Hank. I think we can slowly introduce them, now. Frankie has the high ground on his own turf.”

Hank moves forward, Sumo keeping step beside him. He reaches out first, letting Frankie sniff his hand. When he gets a lick in response, he rubs the top of his head and gestures Sumo forward. Frankie sits up and Connor puts his hand on his back. He bites his lip against a grin as he realizes Frankie is almost the same size as Sumo’s head. 

“Well,” Hank says as the two dogs sniff each other out, “I think we’re in the clear.”

Once both their tails are wagging, Connor stands from his squatted position.

“Just let me put these up and we can go.” A flash of color around Sumo’s neck catches his eye. “Is he wearing a banana bandana?”

Hank chuckles, “I may have spiffed him up for our date. Is it too much?”

“Not at all. Frankie got his new sweater today so he could look dapper for our date.”

He’s not sure, but he could swear he saw a dusting of pink across Hank’s cheeks.

“You sure know how to make a man feel special.”

Connor winks, feigning more confidence than he feels just to see that smouldering look in Hank’s eye, again. Once they’re in the car both dogs seem to settle down, although Frankie rests his head on the console so he can watch Sumo from Connor’s lap. Connor regrets that his head is in the way. He wanted to hold Hank’s hand, like all those teen movies and those cheesy blog posts from his youth. He catches himself staring at Hank, eyes darting away when he starts to turn his head. It’s quiet, but not awkward. Connor supposes this is what all those romance novels (that he definitely does not read) mean when they talk about “companionable silence.” Comfortable silence feels nice, he decides, tapping along to the faint classic rock on the radio. 

When Hank makes a turn, Sumo stands up, immediately huffing. Connor can see the dog park ahead and turns Frankie so he can see. He points, but Frankie just nibbles his finger. Hank parks and jumps out of the car like he’s been shocked. Bewildered, Connor watches him march quickly around to his door to open it. 

“Oh.” He says, and takes Hank’s offered hand. 

Hank grins as Connor stands, holding onto his hand. Connor can almost feel his eyes dilate, at the proximity. If he just tiptoed a little higher...but Frankie barks from between their chests and the moment is broken. He lets out a whoosh of breath as Hank’s hand slips from his to open Sumo’s door. Hank gets Sumo leashed as Connor sets his own pup down and straightens his sweater. 

“Do you uh, need poop scoop bags?” He holds out the roll of plastic bags and Connor laughs.

“Another romantic gift, I see.”

Hank rolls his eyes and tosses them at Connor. Once their pockets are full of treats and poop sacks, they’re off. Frankie is determined to keep step with Sumo, so they walk slowly. Sumo takes turns sniffing the trail and turning to look down at Frankie puffing along beside him. Connor is just about to say something about them being sweet together when a warm palm slips into his. He squeezes Hank’s hand and looks up, eyes soft.

“This okay?”

“Yes. I wanted to hold your hand earlier.”

“Me too. I wanted to see that pretty blush again.” He lifts their joined hands to point as Connor goes pink, “ _ That _ one! That’s why I got pink roses. I wanted some to match that blush.”

Connor had wondered why he chose pink. His knowledge of flower meanings was limited at best. He’s not disappointed to know that Hank simply chose them because they made him think of Connor. 

“Thank you, again. I’m just sorry that the park is too dark for you to see it as well as you’d like.”

Hank tugs on his hand and pulls them to a stop. He leans in to whisper in his ear, “Oh, honey. I’m planning to make more than just your face rosy, tonight.”

Connor shivers as Hank presses a kiss to his jaw and starts tugging him down the path again. “You! You can’t just kiss me and talk like that and expect me to not think about it all night!”

“Maybe I want you to think of it.” He smirks, “Maybe I want you good and riled up by the time I get my hands on you later.”

“Hank!” Connor whines, slumping dramatically against his side, “You can’t say these things!”

“Do you want me to stop?”

“No!”

“Be patient, Connor. I promise to take good care of you.”

With a huff, Connor pulls them to a stop again. Hank looks concerned for a moment as Connor shakes off his hand, but then he reaches up and snags him around the neck. Connor stands on his toes and presses their lips together. He feels Hank’s laugh where their chests are pressed together. His free hand snakes around Connor’s waist to tug him even closer. Connor feels his breath catch as he opens to let Hank in and twines his fingers into his hair. He didn’t know a beard could be so soft. With a final, gentle squeeze, Hank pulls away. Connor is proud to say that Hank looks a little dazed.

“You know,” Hank says, eyes drifting to Connor’s lips. “I think we could cut our walk short.”


	9. Chapter 9

A quiet anticipation thrums in the air during the short drive back to Connor’s house. Hank keeps his eyes on Connor as he unlocks the door. Once he closes it behind them he turns and leans against it. 

“Does, um, does Sumo need anything in particular? That is, uh, if you’re spending the night?”

“Babydoll,” Hank says, crowding him back against the door and cradling his jaw, “As long as you want me to, I’d love to stay with you, tonight.”

“Oh, uh. Yes, please.”

“So very polite. What a sweet boy.”

Hank leans in and Connor melts into the kiss. Long, slender fingers reach to comb through his beard and Hank hums. He swipes his tongue across Connor’s bottom lip, sweeping his hands down his chest as the kiss deepens. Connor pulls away, breathing heavily.

“Hank, bedroom?”

When he nods, Connor takes his hand and pulls him down a short hallway. Hank takes the moment to appreciate the flush he can see that’s crept its way up Connor’s neck. He intends to follow it where it disappears under his shirt. Hank quietly clicks the door shut behind them and tugs Connor back to his chest. He doesn’t meet Hank’s gaze, opting to follow the pattern of his shirt with his fingers. 

“Honey,” Hank says, tipping Connor’s chin up so he’s looking him in the eye, “What do you need?”

“Anything you’ll give me.” Connor murmurs, wrapping a hand around Hank’s wrist. Not pulling, simply holding on.

“Can you undress for me, Con?”

Connor nods, stepping back and pulling his sweater over his head. Hank tugs his shirt off when he gets trapped. They pause for a quick kiss when Hank laughs at Connor’s messy hair. Hank takes a seat on the bed while Connor kicks out of his shoes and jeans. He stands there for a moment, suddenly shy in his boxers and fall themed socks. 

“Hank? Can we, um, pause for a minute?”

“Of course.” He says, sitting up straight. “What’s wrong? Do you want to stop?”

“No! No, I was just wondering what you were expecting.”

When Hank holds his hand out, Connor pads over, slumping into his lap. Hank pulls him close and Connor hides his face in his neck while Hank rubs his back. Connor presses a tiny kiss to Hank’s neck, cold nose making him shiver. Hank keeps one arm around him to hold him close, and rests the other on a pale thigh. 

“I don’t expect anything you don’t want to give, sweetheart. If this is all you want, I’m happy to do this. While I think you’re beautiful and far out of my league and I’d love to make you come, I also want to know  _ you _ , Con. And if it turns out you don’t want sex tonight, I’ll still have had an amazing time with you.”

Connor squirms on his lap and Hank loosens his grip so Connor can look him in the eye.

“Can I take your shirt off?”

Hank blinks up at him, thrown off. He can’t tell if Connor still wants him or not. Is this a test? Does he not realize that Hank is still asexual in real life? Maybe he thought he was some sort of challenge. Like if he could make Hank get it up, he’d won an elusive prize. If so, he’s down on his luck. That’s an extremely rare occurrence and not something Hank shares lightly. Hank’s checked out as he’s considered the question, but comes back to earth as Connor starts to pull away.

“I’m sorry, Hank. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I know you don’t for work but I just -”

“Why?”

Connor pauses his rambling and settles his weight back on Hank’s lap. 

“Why what?”

“Why do you want my shirt off?”

“I -” Connor looks embarrassed, hunching in on himself and avoiding Hank’s gaze as he blushes even darker, “I just wanted to touch you. That’s all.”

“Oh,” Hank says. He’d never even considered that Connor just wanted skin to skin contact. “Okay.”

“Okay?” 

“Here.” He unbuttons his shirt under Connor’s watchful eye. “I don’t feel comfortable taking it off completely, yet. Is this okay?”

“Yes,” Connor says, wide eyed. His hand hovers over Hank’s chest and Hank can feel a swoop of affection as Connor wordlessly asks for permission. When he nods, Connor’s fingers immediately brush through his chest hair. They trace over his tattoo and fall to his belly, following the lines of his stretchmarks. Hank watches Connor’s face as he takes in his torso. He realizes on the second or third pass that Connor is very careful to avoid his nipples and doesn’t go too far toward his belt buckle. Connor’s paying attention to where he thinks Hank’s limits might be and that makes him want to wreck this man even more. Hank reaches up to hold Connor’s chin in his grasp, catching his eyes.

“Do you still want this, Connor?” It comes out as a growl, and Hank’s proud of the little shiver it gets him in return.

“Yes! Hank, I want it.”

Hank lets go of his face and Connor tips forward for a kiss, draping his arms around Hank’s neck to keep him close. They stay like that for a while, slowly kissing and exploring each other. Connor eventually starts to rock his hips, not down, like Hank was used to, but forward into his belly. He snakes a hand down to tug Connor closer to hear him whimper as his cock ruts more firmly into Hank’s stomach.

“You like that, baby? You wanna sit real pretty in my lap and get off just like this?”

“Want these off!” Connor whimpers, pushing at his underwear. 

Hank can’t help but chuckle at the glazed look in Connor’s eye as he tries to undress without leaving his lap.

“Stand up, honey. We’ll get them off.”

Connor stands with a grumble, reluctant to leave his spot. He wiggles out of the rest of his clothes and then scrambles back into Hank’s lap.

“Please touch me!”

“Okay, baby. Okay. Let me look at you, come on.”

Hank peels Connor away from his front to get a good look at him. He’s flushed a rosy pink and breathing heavy as he looks back at Hank. Hank runs a hand down his chest, Connor twitching as he passes over a nipple. He pauses low on his belly; the way Connor’s belly twitches as his hips jump is extremely satisfying. 

“C’mere, honey. Let’s get comfortable.” Hank stands up, scooping Connor into his arms.

He grins when Connor squeaks and tightens his limbs around him. Hank kicks his own shoes off and settles down against the headboard, propped up by pillows. Connor yanks open the bedside drawer and shoves a bottle into Hank’s chest. 

“I can’t stop thinking about your fingers inside me.”

“Is that how good boys ask for things, Connor?”

Connor drops his head to Hank’s shoulder in exasperation. “Will you please fuck me, sir?”

“Mm,” Hank hums, warming the lube in his hand, “Good boy. You’re so sweet for me. That’s why you’re my honey.”

“Yes, yours.” Connor sighs, going boneless as Hank finally gives him a finger. 

He wraps his arm around the man in his lap to pull him as close as possible. Connor has one arm around his neck and a hand woven into his hair while the other simply rests on his chest. He can feel Connor’s breath puffing fast and warm onto his cheek as he presses his forehead into Hank’s temple. Everything is quiet apart from the wet squelches of Hank taking him apart and Connor’s soft moans. Hank almost feels like he could stay right here, on the cusp on everything, where everything feels so intimate and Connor sounds so sweet. But Connor is only human, and this is only their first date, so Hank doesn’t chastise him when he starts rubbing himself on Hank’s stomach again. He’s up to three fingers now, and he wants to try something.

“Connor, honey, will you do something for me?”

“Mhm! Yes sir.” He nods into his neck.

“I want you to tell me when you’re going to come.”

“Okay.”

“And then I’m going to stop.”

“What?”

Connor reels back to stare at him, hips still twisting down on his fingers that have never stopped moving. 

“You’re going to be a good boy, and you won’t come until I tell you to. Isn’t that right?”

He groans as Hank rubs almost cruelly over his prostate without letting up. His legs shake and he has to brace himself on Hank’s chest. When Hank finally lets up, he smirks at the dazed look in Connor’s eyes.

“I won’t come until you tell me to.” He agrees. 

Hank proceeds with his slow pace as he fingers Connor open. He speeds up, hitting his prostate on every thrust to hear him cry out. Until Connor tells him he’s going to come, and then he slows down to a crawl, consciously avoiding that delicious spot, until Connor is calm again. He doesn’t bother keeping track of time, or how many times he’s denied Connor. He knows Connor will follow instructions, even when he’s stopped speaking coherently. He’s a puddle in Hank’s arms, and he can already tell that the sheets beneath them are unsalvageable, soaked in lube. Hank can feel his own belly get slicker and slicker as Connor gets more wet with each blurt of precome. 

“Connor?” Hank asks, eventually. He doesn’t respond right away, face tucked away in Hank’s neck. Hank has to repeat his name twice more before it registers.

“Hm?” He asks, sitting up, still trying to thrust down on the fingers that have stilled inside him. “What - why did you stop? Hank?”

“Baby,” Hank says, chest aching with fondness as he cups his face, “Do you want to come now, or do you want to wait some more?”

Connor sways on the spot, eyes still trying to focus on Hank. He brings one hand up to touch Hank’s mouth, breathing out a laugh when he gets a kiss to his fingertips for the trouble. 

“Wanna come.” He says, nodding five times to be sure. “Yep.”

“Do you wanna lay down, or stay right here?”

“M’gonna stay here. You feel good.” He gives a little thrust against Hank’s belly, watching, enraptured, as it jiggles. 

“You gonna come all over me, honey? Gonna mark me up?”

“Oh!” Connor moans as Hank resumes a brutal pace, “Hank, yes. Ah!”

Hank grabs the back of his neck as Connor collapses against him again, hips working wildly. He can feel him gripping hard at his shirt and makes a mental note to rub his fingers down after such a tight hold. Hank uses his grip to hold Connor tight to him and works through the pain he can feel building in his arm from the bad angle and prolonged movement. 

“Hank!” Connor’s shout is muffled in his shoulder, “Wanna come! Please! Please let me come!”

“You’ve been so good, Connor. Come for me. Let me see, baby.”

Hank curses as Connor bites down on his shoulder when his body locks up. They’re pressed so tightly together that he can feel the warmth all over his stomach as he slows his pistoning fingers to milk his orgasm as long as possible. Connor detaches his teeth with a whimper as Hank passes over his prostate again. He stills, leaving his fingers where they are as Connor rides out the last shockwaves, his hole squeezing Hank’s fingers. With a final thrust, Connor whimpers and finally slows his hips to a stop. Hank gives him a moment to breathe. Once he can feel tiny kisses all over his shoulder, he slowly pulls his fingers back. Connor gives an overstimulated keen but quiets when Hank strokes up and down his back again. They don’t speak until Hank’s cleaned his other hand up and both have joined the party that is petting Connor. 

Connor’s kisses change direction from the aimless ones all over his shoulder, to following a trail to Hank’s lips. 

“Hello,” He murmurs against Hank’s mouth.

“Hello,” Hank whispers back, “That was beautiful, honey. You’re even more stunning in person.”

Connor giggles, nudging their noses together and leaning forward enough for a short kiss. 

“You’re amazing. But I hope you’ve got your sea legs because I’m too tired to move.”

“I think I can manage it,” Hank says.

Later, they’re curled in bed under fresh sheets, both dogs bracketing them as Connor begins to snore. Hank thinks that maybe, just maybe, he could get used to this.


	10. Chapter 10

Connor wakes up the next morning to an unfamiliar text tone, blaringly loud and rattling on the nightstand. He groans and grips tighter to his pillow. Said pillow chuckles and Connor snaps his head up. Hank is watching him with a sleepy grin on his face. He’d gotten so used to being alone that he’d forgotten Hank had stayed. Memories of the night before flood back and Connor can feel his face heat. 

“Mornin’ handsome.” Hank says, that rough morning voice doing interesting things to Connor’s libido.

“Good morning,” Connor says, still staring, “Is that, um. Important?”

Hank pushes Connor down with a hand to his chest. Connor feels his breath hitch, but Hank is only reaching across him for his phone. He flops back into his side of the bed, reading the text message. Connor watches him tap out a quick reply and set the cell down again, this time on Hank’s side of the bed. His bedmate props himself up on one arm to get a look at him

“That was Cole’s friend’s mom. She said the boys aren’t even up yet, but she’s making breakfast in an hour. I’d say that means you and I get about two hours together before he’s ready to go home. Isn’t that interesting?”

“Very interesting,” Connor says, swallowing heavily as Hank taps out a rhythm on his chest. “What, uh, what should we do with that time?”

“Well,” Hank snakes his hand up to cup Connor’s jaw and he swears time stops, “We could have our own breakfast.”

“Oh,” Connor says, trying not to sound disappointed. He must not succeed because Hank chuckles and leans in for a quick kiss.

“Of course, that’s afterwards.”

“A-afterwards?”

“I’d love to get my mouth on you, honey. Is that okay?”

Connor squeaks out a moan and nods his head vigorously. Hank chuckles and leans in for another kiss, but Connor stops him with a hand on his chest.

“Could we - well, nevermind.”

“Hey, you can ask for anything you want, Con.”

Connor bites his lip at the worried look in Hank’s eye. 

“I was just wondering if we could brush our teeth? First? I know it’s dumb, but -”

He stops speaking to stare as Hank flops back onto his side of the bed, absolutely cackling. Connor can’t help grinning over at him; he’s never seen him laugh like this. It looks good on him, crows’ feet pulling tight while his messy hair fans around him on Connor’s pillows. Once Hank’s laugh dies down to a giggle and a few snorts, Connor speaks again.

“I take that as a yes?”

“Yeah, baby.” Hank says, reaching for his hand and giving it a squeeze, “We can brush our teeth first. I can’t blame you. I wouldn’t want morning breath on my dick, either.”

Connor digs out a spare toothbrush and he and Hank brush their teeth together. Hank grins at him in the mirror, foamy mouth dropping toothpaste onto his shirt. Connor makes a disgusted sound and bumps him with his hip. He pretends to trip and stumbles into the wall. Connor tries to keep from laughing as he watches him slide down it slowly, as if he’s been shot. 

“Hank!” He says after he spits, “You’re getting toothpaste everywhere!”

He pulls himself up by the counter and spits, leaning over to rub his wet beard on Connor’s ratty sleepshirt. Connor laughs and squirms out of reach, darting back to his bedroom. He hears the toothbrush clatter into the sink as Hank gives chase. He makes it two steps from the bathroom before Hank catches up. Connor shrieks as Hank grabs him around the waist and lifts him up. Sumo comes bounding into the room, barking. Frankie follows close behind, also barking, likely because he saw Sumo do it. Hank tosses Connor onto his bed and both dogs immediately smother him. 

“Attack!” Hank shouts and wiggles in between the dogs to flop on top of Connor.

Connor laughs, batting away the dogs’ excited licks. They finally jump off the bed and he grins down at Hank watching him with his head on his arms.

“You’re the actual worst.”

“Nah, you love it.”

Connor feels his heart jolt at the word “love.”  _ Too soon, _ he cautions himself.  _ He didn’t say he loves you. _

“I believe I was promised a very nice wake up call.” He says instead, raising an eyebrow.

Hank pointedly looks over at Sumo and Frankie, who sit by the bedroom door, waiting to go out. Connor snorts out a laugh.

“Okay, we’ll take care of the dogs first. What do you want for breakfast?”

“Besides you?” Hank asks, as he helps pull Connor to his feet.

“You think you’re so cute!”

“I know I am.”

“Well, I can’t argue that.” Connor concedes, opening the back door to let Sumo and Frankie out. He can feel his mouth fall open slightly as Hank stretches and scratches at the section of belly that’s revealed. 

“You got stuff for pancakes?”

“What? Oh! Yes. I just bought eggs, and I should have everything else.”

“Eggs?” Hank gives him a confused look, “Wait, do you actually make them from scratch?”

“Of course. That box mix is just sad. Nothing beats homemade!”

“I guess I’ll let you have that one,” Hank smirks as he sits at the table, resting his chin on one hand. “As long as you also give me some coffee and wear that cute apron over there.”

Connor feels his whole body burn as he turns to look at said apron. It’s different shades of pink with little heart polka dots and heart shaped pockets with ruffles around the edges. Hank knows he’s a fan of his work, but Connor isn’t so sure how he’ll react to finding out Connor bought the apron because he saw the new video last week. He’d never even seen anything remotely attractive about an apron before he’d seen “Wallace” wearing one nude and crawling on his knees, obeying everything Hank said. Connor had no one to live out that fantasy with, but he couldn’t leave the apron once he saw it there.  _ It was on clearance, after all _ , he rationalized,  _ And maybe he might start baking more. _ He must take too long to answer, because a shit-eating grin grows on Hank’s face. 

“Oh, honey,” Hank purrs, “Did you buy that pretty little thing because of me? Did it get you all worked up to see him on his knees in just an apron, ready to please?”

Connor gulps, but doesn’t respond. This morning has been a whirlwind for him, alternating between extremely interested in sex and laughing at Hank’s antics faster than light. If this is what dating Hank is going to be like, he’s certainly in for a trip. 

Hank chuckles, leaning back in his seat. “Well, why don’t you be a good boy and make us some breakfast, and then I’ll give you a sweet treat?”

By the time Hank heads out the door to pick up his son, Connor is once again dazed. Hank holds his face in his hands at the doorway and kisses him deep and slow. Connor grips at his wrists and nudges their noses together as they stay there for a moment, just breathing. He leaves with a promise to text later, and Connor and Frankie stand in the doorway watching his car drive away. Connor brings a hand to his lips and beams. 

“I’ve got a boyfriend, Frankie.” He says, watching his head tilt. “How about that?”


	11. Chapter 11

Cole is vibrating with excited energy by the time Hank picks him up. His game is in a few hours and he can’t stop talking about it.

“Do you think the other team has uniforms too, Pops? Because we have really cool ones!”

“Yeah, you do, kiddo. I’m sure the other team will have some, too.”

“Do you think we’ll win?”

“I have no doubt, bud.”

Cole beams at him when he checks the rearview. He spends the rest of the ride talking Sumo through how to play t-ball. Sumo, for his part, keeps watching as he gestures wildly as if he’s really listening. He doesn’t question Sumo’s presence until they’re back home.

“Why did you bring Sumo to pick me up?”

Hank rubs the back of his neck, “What? Is he not allowed to come?”

“No, he can! You just never did that before.”

“Well, Cole,” Hank huffs, flopping onto the couch, “I also had a sleepover yesterday.”

“Oh!” He brightens up, “Did you have fun, Pops? Did you get to stay up late, too?”

“Yeah, bud. I had fun.” He reaches out to ruffle Cole’s hair. “Go ahead and gather your stuff for your game, so we’ll be ready to go later. Your coach said she wants you all there early.”

They end up arriving even earlier than his coach had said because Cole was itching to go. Cole grabs his bat and jumps up and down in place while Hank gathers everything else: sunscreen, snacks and drinks for the team, a collapsible chair, his baseball glove, and Cole’s water bottle.

“Alright,” Hank says, struggling to close the hatch with his arms full, “We’re in field B, so let’s go wait there. We can watch the older kids play.”

Cole leads the way, hopping every other step to hear the sound his cleats make on the concrete. Hank is concentrating on not dropping the snacks when Cole yells out.

“Pops, look! Dr. Connor is here! Can I go say hi?”

Hank’s head snaps up and sure enough, there’s Connor sitting next to a man dressed all in black. They’re leaning close together to talk. When Connor throws his head back to laugh he catches a glimpse of Hank and that flush starts creeping up his neck. 

“Yeah, let’s go say hello.”

Cole clambers up the bleachers to stand in front of Connor while Hank sets all their stuff down. He walks up the bleachers slightly slower and catches the tail end of what Cole’s saying.

“...and here’s the stickers you gave me! I thought if I put stickers on my bat, then it might be cooler which would give me more hitting power.”

Connor and the man beside him are both grinning as Hank approaches.

“That certainly sounds like some pretty sound science, Cole. I’m sure you’ll knock it out of the park.”

Cole turns his attention to the other man, “Hey, you look like Dr. Connor! Are you a clone?”

“Cole!” Hank says, rubbing his hand down his face. “You can’t just ask people if they’re clones.”

“Why not?”

The man chuckles quietly and speaks in a smooth voice. “It’s alright. Dr. Connor is one of my brothers.”

“Oh!” Cole says, “Neat.”

He’s apparently done with that conversation, because he turns around and begins watching the game in progress with rapt attention. Hank shakes his head and holds his hand out.

“This is Cole. I’m Hank. Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise. I’m Nines.”

“Nines?” He asks, puzzled. “Is that a nickname?”

“Yes.” He says simply.

Hank blinks as Nines turns back to the game. Connor only shrugs and pats the spot next to him. He nudges Connor’s shoulder as he sits down.

“Long time no see, huh?”

“I came to watch my niece’s game. I didn’t know you’d be here.” Connor wrings his hands, as if expecting a chastisement. 

“Didn’t think you were stalking me, Con. You were here first, after all. Which number is your niece?”

“Lucky 13.” He says, pointing to a tall girl with a long, dark braid coming up to bat. 

She takes up her spot, wiggling her feet into place. The pitcher throws and Hank jumps as her bat connects with a thundering crack. The stands go nuts as the softball flies out, almost knocked into the surrounding woods but landing just inside the fence. Hank feels like he barely has time to blink and the girl is sliding into third base.

“Ophelia!” Nines calls out, grinning. He cups his hands around his mouth to continue something that sounds a lot like Russian. Ophelia stands on her base and laughs, cupping her own hands to respond to her father in Russian as well.

“Russian?” Hank asks.

Nines, still smiling, leans forward to respond. “She wanted to learn it, so we took some lessons. She’s a natural.”

Connor leans over to whisper as Nines returns his attention to his daughter, “I think they like having a way to talk shit without anyone else understanding.”

“Mr. Nines, your kid is really good!” Cole shouts.

“Thank you,” He says, sparing a smile for him. “She is very good at sports. I’m very proud.”

They spend the rest of the game cheering Ophelia on, Hank and Cole stamping and cheering along with everyone else. Unsurprisingly, their team wins. Ophelia walks over, a victorious smile on her face, and drops all her stuff as Nines jumps down to give her a hug that lifts her off her feet. 

“Dad! Put me down!” She screeches.

Nines sets her down and tugs gently on her braid. “You were great, sweetheart. I’m so proud of you.”

“Impressive as always, Ophelia!” Connor calls.

“Hi, Uncle Connor! Are you coming to lunch with us?”

“Um,” Connor says and glaces first at Nines, who smirks, and then at Hank, who shrugs.

“I think Uncle Connor would like to stay with his new….friend. For a while.”

Hank can feel his face heating up as comprehension dawns on Ophelia’s face. If he’s pink, he knows Connor must be dark red.

“Oh!” She marches forward to stick her hand out to Hank, “I’m Ophelia!”

“Hello, I’m Hank. This is my son, Cole.”

Cole scoots to the edge of the bleachers to sit in front of Ophelia. 

“You’re really good! You’re like a pro! I wanna be that good, someday!”

“It takes lots of practice,” She says, “But I’m sure you can do it!”

Hank could hug her for the way that puts stars in Cole’s eyes. Nines and Ophelia wave goodbye as Cole’s team starts to arrive. Hank sends Cole off with a wave, chuckling as he clomps off, helmet bobbing on his head. Connor is watching him when he turns around.

“I really want to kiss you, right now.” 

Hank grins, “I can’t promise I wouldn’t get carried away, so it may not be the best time.”

Connor tentatively slips his hand into Hank’s, giving it a squeeze.

“So, tell me about your brother. He married?”

“No,” Connor sighs, “Nines has raised Ophelia on his own. Once his highschool sweetheart found out he was keeping the baby, he left. Nines hasn’t heard from him since. But she couldn’t ask for a better dad, really. He had her, graduated college with honors, and got an amazing job all by himself.”

Hank whistles through his teeth, “That is impressive.”

Connor nods, “He had our parents’ and our brothers’ to help, of course. But he’s pretty much a self-made man.”

“How many brothers do you have?”

“Four.”

Hank feels his mouth drop open. Connor huffs a laugh at the look on his face.

“I’m the middle child. There’s Leo, Markus, me, my twin brother Silas, and then Nines, the baby. I was born two minutes before Silas, so I’m technically older.”

“Your parents were, uh, busy.”

Connor gives him a playful shove, “We’re all adopted, actually. Our parents are divorced but they have separate houses on the same property. They were both independently wealthy - our dad’s an artist and our mom’s a professor at a big tech university - so when they realized they were both / _ very/ _ gay, they just built a second house. My mom moved in there and we got to switch between the two. They’re still best friends, and they’ve both remarried. But, it’s basically a huge family reunion every time we all get together.”

Hank blinks at him. That is...a lot. He ends up gaping like a fish at Connor, who hasn’t noticed yet. Cole steps up to the plate and he snaps his mouth shut, putting those thoughts on hold for now. The coach sets the ball on the tee and reaches out to adjust Cole’s stance and tighten his helmet. Cole gives her a thumbs up and she steps back.

“Let’s go, Cole!” Hank shouts, and Connor punctuates it with an excited “Woo!”

The game passes quickly, Cole’s much younger team obviously playing shorter games than Ophelia’s. Hank nearly shouts himself hoarse as Cole slides home each time. He turns to Connor once the game is over and is taken aback by the soft look on his face.

“What?” He asks, somewhat defensively.

“Nothing!” Connor assures him, “You’re just a great dad.”

The team crowds around Hank and Connor, grappling for snacks. Once everyone has a fruit gummy pack and a drink, Connor tugs Hank a little further from the group. 

“I was wondering if you and Cole would like to um, go to a movie tomorrow afternoon? I’ll pay, of course. Maybe we could get some food after?”

“Uh,” Hank avoids Connor’s eye, “I don’t think it’s a good day for that. Sorry.”

“Oh,” Connor says, looking crestfallen. “Okay. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have pushed. Of course you want time with Cole. I’m sorry this was so-”

“Honey,” Hank says, placing a hand on his arm, “It’s not you. Next week is the anniversary of Cole’s mother’s death. I always try to spend the week with him, take a few days off to skip school for ice cream.”

Hank feels guilty as Connor looks like he could kick himself. Connor takes a step back from Hank, nodding.

“Yes, right. Of course. I apologize. I wasn’t aware - I didn’t know. You, uh. You two have a good rest of your day.”

Hank watches Connor give him a brief, watery smile and step away.

“Con, you don’t have to -”

But Connor is already speed walking away, and Hank wonders what he did wrong.


	12. Chapter 12

Connor spends the rest of the week mentally wringing his hands. He can’t help but feel guilty about how he left things with Hank. He knew that Cole likely had a second parent, likely someone Hank cared deeply for. But to be confronted with it like that threw him off. Some smaller part of him wonders why he was good enough on a Friday night before such a sad day, but he’s not after. He squashes that part as well as he can, chalking it up to pointless jealousy. That’s not fair to Hank, and Connor knows he shouldn’t be upset about this but meeting Hank and spending time with him had shifted things. It was like things started to click into place, and Connor knows if this goes any further, he’s going to fall in love with Hank and he’s going to fall  _ fast _ . So many warnings are flashing through his head, klaxons blaring. 

If he falls in love with Hank, he knows his heart is going to get broken. Hank’s never expressed any desire for this to be more than just something simple. Connor probably wouldn’t have ever met Cole, if he’d met Hank elsewhere. Following that train of thought, Hank wouldn’t have ever been interested in Connor if Connor’s stupid mouth hadn’t given him away. He hadn’t shown any indication of wanting to ask him out beforehand. 

“Fuck,” Connor groans, turning his face into the back of his office couch, “I was just easy.”

Connor knows who Hank is, which means he’d known how Hank has sex. He knows about him being asexual, about not taking his clothes off, all of that. There was no need for an awkward conversation after several dates and potentially being shot down. For probably one of the only times in his life, Hank would have been able to skip over all of that, and Connor really can’t blame him for jumping at the chance. 

Now that he thinks about it, Hank  _ had _ referenced his work fairly often. He always looks so amused by it, as if he thought it was cute Connor was a fan. Even now he cringes at the idea of calling himself a “fan” of a pornstar. But that must surely be how Hank sees him, especially after nearly calling him his “stage name” in public. Connor feels hot tears well up well up in his eyes and furiously scrubs at his face with his sweater sleeve. He’s not going to cry about this. He  _ refuses _ to cry about a relationship that wasn’t even meant to be serious. A glance at the clock tells him his lunch hour is almost up, anyway. He sits up, trying to comb his hair back into place and huffing out a slow, calming breath. The work day is almost over. He hasn’t seen Hank in a week. 

“I’ll text him after work.” Connor murmurs, nodding to himself. “Let him know that this won’t work. That I had fun but I understand I’m not what he’s looking for long term. And that I am looking for long term.”

Connor maintains the steam from the confidence of knowing what to say right up until the moment he lies down on his bed and opens up his messages. He feels tears welling up again as he sees the last message Hank sent him, right after he’d gotten home last Saturday.

/Thank you for letting us sleep over. Can’t wait to see you again, honey.

At the time, it had made Connor grin and do a happy little dance on his bed. Now, it just hurts. He stares blankly at the screen for a few moments, focusing on Frankie breathing beside him to calm his nerves. 

/Hank, I’m sorry if I upset you last week. I have done some thinking and I believe continuing this relationship is not in my best interest. I’ve enjoyed our time together, and if you want to see a different vet, I can recommend one a couple towns over. 

As soon as he presses send, his phone chimes with a new text.

/Whatever I did, I’m sorry.

They must have sent them at the same time. Connor sniffs, trying to hold back the tears that have been threatening to spill. He starts to type a reply when he sees the bouncing dots of Hank typing. He erases his response. The dots disappear. They follow this pattern a couple more times before Connor nearly jumps out of his skin as his phone rings. He fumbles it, dropping it on his face. Frankie gives him an unimpressed look. Connor watches it ring for a moment more before answering.

“H-hello?”

“Connor,” Hank says, and his voice is almost enough to undo Connor. “I’m sorry. I obviously upset you. If you could please just talk to me and tell -”

“It’s not your fault, Hank.” As hard as he’d tried to hold his voice steady, he winces as it cracks on Hank’s name.

“Are you crying?”

“No!”

“Please talk to me, Con. Whatever it is, I want to fix it. I honestly can’t figure out what I did to upset you so much. Tell me what’s wrong.”

“I -” Connor clears his throat, “I realize that this was just a...fling for you. But I don’t want to continue that. I’m looking for long term, so it’s better we cut our ties now, rather than later. I understand I was an easy date since I already knew who you are and -”

“What the fuck.” Hank says, flatly. It’s not a question.

Connor falters, “You - I”

Hank sniffs and Connor feels his body go hot and then cold. Is /Hank/ crying?

“Con, honey. Is this about Cole’s mother?” His voice is rougher, choked.

“I just, you,” Connor sighs and the thoughts he’d been trying to avoid come tumbling out, “You’ve already had a kid and a whole life before me and someone you love and I’m just some twink you met that gets off to your voice and can’t keep his mouth shut and I can’t see where I could possibly matter in comparison to all that.”

There’s a long, long silence. Connor can hear the grandfather clock ticking in his living room, and a faint noise on Hank’s end that might be a television program. Connor is about to hang up, afraid of what might come next, when Hank finally speaks. 

“You’re not just some twink, Connor.”

He doesn’t know how to respond to that, resorting to gaping at his ceiling fan as his thoughts stumble to a halt. 

“I meant it when I said I wanted to know you.” Hank continues quietly, “I’m sorry if I didn’t make it clear. I love being with you, Con. I don’t know how to explain it, but it’s...comfortable.”

“Hank…”

“If you still want to call this off, I’ll respect that and you won’t have to see me again. But, I’d really like to try this, if you want. Long term.”

Connor turns on his side, tugging Frankie closer. His voice is almost a whisper, now.

“I really think I could fall in love with you, Hank.”

There’s a beat of silence, and Hank replies in a whisper, voice cracking. 

“You love me?”

“I could.”

Connor startles at the loud, sudden movement. There’s a bang like a dining chair has been knocked over. He hears rustling like Hank’s dropped the phone and caught it against his clothes. Sumo barks in the background, and loud footsteps on hard floor come through loud and clear.

“Fuck, shit. Okay. Are you at home?” Hank sounds out of breath.

“Um, yes?”

“Stay there. I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

“But Cole?”

“I’ll call someone. Don’t go anywhere, honey. I’ll see you soon.”


	13. Chapter 13

Hank nearly trips again trying to hurry out of his car. He slams the door behind him, and nearly runs up the walk to Connor’s front door. The door opens just as he raises his fist, leaving it hanging in the air. Connor looks up at him, eyes red rimmed and mouth parted ever so slightly. It takes the wind out of him; he’s so beautiful, even now.

“Hank?”

But he doesn’t have time to finish the sentence before Hank reaches out with both hands to hold his face and press their lips together. Connor gives an adorable, high pitched noise of surprise and scrabbles at Hank’s clothes to find something to grip. He manages to loop his fingers through his belt loops and tugs them flush against each other. Hank grunts in surprise and Connor uses the opportunity to slip him some tongue. He can feel himself burning hot, head spinning with everything he wants to say on top of how good it feels to have Connor in his arms again. Hank moves one hand to grip Connor’s curls and shift the angle, the other slipping from his face to his throat. He can feel the whimper as he gives Connor’s neck a tiny squeeze. Connor pulls back and Hank feels disoriented. He can’t tell if it’s the lack of oxygen, the emotion, or just the effect Connor has on him. Both of them are panting, watching each other in the dying light of the evening. 

“So,” Hank blurts, “How was your day?”

Connor blinks at him, face blank. Then he cracks. He huffs out a sound Hank can’t identify as a laugh or a sob. Hank reaches out for his shoulders as they shake, face in his hands. 

“Con? Hey, talk to me.”

Connor looks up and Hank is relieved to see he’s laughing, even if a few tears slip down his face. 

“I’ve had a pretty bad day, but I think it’s better, now.”

Hank reaches out to brush away those tears with his thumbs. His heart does a funny flip when Connor turns into his touch, pressing a kiss into his palm. 

“Did you mean it?”

“Mean what?”

“That you could love me?” Hank gulps, terrified of the answer being no.

“Hank,” Connor sighs and he feels his heart swoop again, “How could I not?”

He bites his lip, drops his hand. His chest squeezes tight as he looks away. 

“Lots of reasons. I’m old. I’ve got a lot of baggage. I have a kid. The only interesting thing about me is my job. I’m ace. Just, a lot of things.”

Connor reaches up to thread his fingers through Hank’s beard, gently tugging him to look in his eyes. 

“First of all, you’re middle age, not old. I find the gray hair especially hot, by the way. Going through loss and everything else that may have happened isn’t baggage. That’s just being a person. Cole is a wonderful kid, and I look forward to getting to know him. I think  _ everything _ about you is interesting. And being asexual isn’t something to be ashamed of, Hank. We’ve only had sex once, but it’s the best I’ve ever had. You make me feel safe and sure, sometimes I might worry that I’m not giving you anything in return. But that just means I need to check in and make sure I give you what  _ you _ need. Whatever that might be.”

Hank doesn’t have anything to respond to that, so he tugs Connor closer into a hug. He rests his cheek on top of his head, giving him a squeeze as he feels Connor wrap his arms around his middle. They stay there for a while, Hank taking in everything Connor has said, and Connor trying to burrow even closer every couple minutes. Hank finally pulls away when Connor gives a full body shiver. It’s gotten dark around them, bringing much colder winds to whip around them. 

“Why don’t we go inside, honey? You feel like ice.”

“Don’t you have to leave?”

“Cole is having an impromptu sleepover at his friend Alice’s house. Sumo, too.”

“Are you staying?”

The way Connor looks at him, so soft and full of hope, makes Hank feel...he doesn’t even know what it makes him feel, but whatever it is, he doesn’t want to lose it. When Connor curls up next to him on the couch, flipping through his old movie collection, Hank wraps an arm around him. He doesn’t want to let go, not until he has to. Connor pulls a blanket over their laps and settles in, lights dim. Just before the movie starts, Hank leans over to whisper in his ear.

“Hey, Connor?”

“Yeah?”

“I think I could love you, too.”

Connor wraps an arm across his belly and gives him a soft kiss on the cheek.

“I’ll hold you to that.”


	14. Chapter 14

Connor wakes up before Hank the next morning, and maneuvers himself carefully to turn to look at him without disturbing his sleep. His hair is an absolute mess, and Connor can tell he’s going to have a rough time brushing those knots out. Hank’s mouth is slightly open, not quite snoring, but making soft puffing sounds. Connor leans up to look down the bed, and sure enough, Frankie has wiggled out a space between Hank’s feet on top of the covers. He slips closer to Hank, carefully placing his head next to Hank’s on his pillow, mouth resting against his shoulder. Everything seems to stand still for a while while he listens to Hank breathe. He pulls one hand up to rest on Hank’s chest, tracing the design on his shirt with soft fingers. 

Hank smacks his mouth, his legs moving to stretch. Connor flattens his hand over his heart just to feel it speed up as he wakes. 

“Hmmm,” Hank hums deep in his chest, eyes not open yet. “Mornin’.”

“Good morning,” Connor whispers into his shoulder, pressing a kiss there. “Do you have to leave?”

Hank’s eyes crack open at that and he peers over at Connor. Connor can feel his arm shift under him and tug him flush to Hank’s side. He waits patiently for an answer, flinging a leg across his partner’s leg for good measure. 

“Unfortunately I do, honey. Gotta pick up Cole.”

“I thought so.” Connor speaks quietly, not daring to break the contentment of the moment. 

“But, Cole is going to visit his Auntie North today while I go to work.”

Connor can’t help the way his cock twitches against Hank’s leg, a thousand ideas of what Hank could be doing at work flashing through his mind. He hides his face in Hank’s neck as he rumbles a laugh, but runs a soothing hand up his back.

“You still want to see me work, huh?”

“Always. You’re beautiful when you’re in control. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Hank’s hand stops at the small of his back and Connor leans up to see what’s wrong. He turns Hank to face him, rubbing his thumb under his eye. Hank is frozen, watching with thoughtful eyes.

“No one’s ever called me beautiful, I think.”

“Surely your, um, wife? Partner?”

“Wife,” He clarifies, reaching to thread his fingers with Connor’s and resting their joined hands on his chest. “No, she. She called me handsome, or lovely. Once, she called me cute and then she laughed so hard she nearly threw up.”

Connor smiles softly as Hank’s gaze gets distant, but fond. The sting of jealousy, of not being important, is still there, but it’s muted with Hank here in his bed. The childish part of him wants to say that she should have told him he was beautiful, that she was stupid to not see it. But the rational mind beats that back with a stick. Connor doesn’t know anything about their relationship, so he shouldn’t pass judgement. Hank will talk about it when he’s ready.

“Well, you are beautiful.” He settles for, hoping Hank can hear how much he means it.

Hank reels him in for a kiss, smiling against his lips when Connor keeps his mouth firmly shut. Morning breath is still gross, no matter the occasion.

“C’mon, you dork. Let’s brush our teeth so I can kiss you properly.”

Once they’ve brushed their teeth and Connor has let Frankie out back, Hank backs him into the wall, caging him in with those thick arms. Connor can’t help the high pitched, needy sound that emits from the back of his throat when Hank grabs it to pull him into a kiss. He opens immediately, blooming like a morning glory under his hands. Connor slips both hands into Hank’s hair to hold on, needing something to anchor himself with. Hank tilts Connor’s head to a better angle and slips his hands up his shirt. Connor arches forward as Hank slowly explores his torso. He plucks a nipple and seems amused at Connor’s “Mm!” of surprise. Connor jolts when one thick thigh finds its way between his own just as a rough hand reaches into his boxers to squeeze one cheek.

“Love all the sounds you make.” Hank breathes when Connor pulls back to moan. He pulls back, grinning at Connor’s wrecked face and gives his ass a slap. “Do you want me to take you to bed? I’ve still got a little time.”

Connor’s heart throbs in his chest at the phrasing. But what he really wants more than anything is to be close. He shakes his head and flops forward into Hank’s arms, secretly enjoying the little “oof!” Hank makes on impact. 

“I wanna go back to bed, but I don’t wanna have sex. Just wanna cuddle.” He speaks directly into Hank’s chest, where he’s happily smashed his face. Hank seems to understand him perfectly clearly, though.

“We can do that, honey. C’mon.”

Connor lets Hank lead him back to bed and clings to him like an octopus as soon as they lay down. Hank gives him a kiss on the forehead and Connor feels his heart jump, even at such a small expression of affection. 

“Could you, um, tell me about what you’re doing at work today?”

Hank raises an eyebrow, “Why?”

“I just want to know. I don’t know what happens behind the scenes. I only get to see your polished videos. What’s it like?”

Connor watches him as he settles in a little more comfortably, squeezing Connor just a touch closer.

“Well, I’ve only ever worked for Cyberlife, so I can only tell you how Chloe does things. But, Chloe normally has us do mini scenes with new partners, to see where the chemistry and dynamics stand. Then, she assigns us in different, uh, configurations? I guess? Some people only want to work with certain people, sometimes because of chemistry or mainly because of sexuality. Echo and Ripple only work with other women, and only if their partner is present. That might be an issue elsewhere, but Chloe doesn’t mind because they’re fucking stunning and pull in the views.”

“Do you have favorite coworkers? People you like working with best?”

“Kara and Luther are a couple of very good friends in real life, and they’re always sweet to work with. Very responsive, and so in love it’s gross. Tina is fun to work with, but she doesn’t film with men very often. I really like to film with Gavin, actually. He just melts under a firm hand.”

Connor sits up, “Wait, Gavin as in Gavin Reed? My receptionist Gavin?”

“Yeah,” Hank says, looking concerned, “Is that a problem?”

“No,” Connor replies, drawing it out as he processes this new data. He knew Hank said they worked together sometimes but Connor would have noticed if his receptionist showed up on screen with Hank. He’s seen almost every video Hank’s ever done. “I’ve never seen him online?”

“Gav is an independent contractor, so to speak. He’s a camboy, and sometimes I come on to give him directions. It always gives him a little boost in funds because people recognize my voice and drop bigger tips. I don’t do it often, and this is the first time we’ll work together on camera, and his debut at Cyberlife, I guess. He wants to see how he likes the staff before he signs a long term contract.”

Connor had no idea porn was so  _ business-y _ . He just assumed people were paired off and then they just read a script. Hank makes it sound...warmer. He really seems to know these people, and Connor suspects he’s friends with them. But that friendly vibe is what drew him to the Cyberlife website initially. The actors never looked fake, and they look fairly comfortable with each other. They felt like real people and jerking off didn’t make him feel gross afterward anymore because of that. 

“So, who are you working with today? Gavin?”

“Yeah, I’ll probably head over after I drop Cole off around 2:00.” He pauses and Connor isn’t sure if he likes the downright devilish grin that spreads across his face. “Honey, would you be interested in watching?”

He makes a strangled sound and forgets to breathe for a moment. 

“Is that allowed? Wait, no. Gavin would be uncomfortable.”

“Yes, it’s allowed. And I don’t think he would. He thinks you’re hot, Con.”

Connor’s mouth falls open. “No he does  _ not _ !”

“Want me to ask?” Hank snatches up his phone and Connor is in too much shock to stop him. He watches, helpless. He’s barely set the phone back down to look smug when it dings with a text message. Connor snatches his cell away to read them. 

/Hey, Gav. You mind Connor sitting in on our scene today? You think he’s hot, right?

/I always love an audience. Hell yeah he’s hot.

Connor drops the phone and rolls away, pressing his face into his pillow to muffle his embarrassed groan. He can feel the full body flush getting darker as Hank laughs loudly behind him. He feels Hank roll over and tug him back into his chest, the biggest big spoon. He leans up to press kisses over the side of Connor’s face.

“You don’t have to come if you don’t want to, baby. But if you do, we’d love to have you. Gav won’t be weird about it at work next week, I promise. He’s a professional, after all.”

“I can’t believe he thinks I’m attractive!” Connor bursts out.

“Sizzlin’ hot, Con.”

“Hank,  _ no _ .” Connor can’t help a nervous giggle.

“What do you say? Hm? I won’t be mad if you say no, baby.”

Connor chews his lip as he thinks on it. He’d love to see Hank work in real time. That somehow feels different than either watching his videos or actually having sex with him. It feels like a glimpse behind the curtain, but the Wizard is Hank’s magic voice. And hands. And fingers. And mouth. Okay, maybe just Hank as a whole. Connor turns to face him, tucking his hands between them and looking up at him through his lashes.

“If I come watch you, it’ll be so hard not to touch myself.” He bites his lip, delighting in the way Hank immediately zooms in on it, pupils dilating. “Will you give me a reward if I’m a good boy?”

Hank groans and gently knocks their foreheads together, closing his eyes. For a second it’s silent and Connor wonders if maybe he’s gone too far.

“Of course I will, honey. Be sweet for me today and I’ll take care of you.”

Connor gets another thirty minutes with Hank (spent arguing over the morally gray actions of a certain wizened headmaster) before his phone chimes with a new text. Hank gets dressed while Connor watches him from his spot in bed, smiling fondly. He holds a hand up when Connor tries to get up. 

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll walk myself out. You enjoy your lazy morning.”

He leans in for a kiss and Connor watches him go with a sigh. He listens as the door shuts and he hears Hank drive away. Rolling over, he grins into his pillow and ruts just once against the bed. He can be good. He can wait. 

The rest of the day passes slowly, and Connor understands the watched pot never boils but it doesn’t keep him from checking the time every half hour. He floats restlessly through the rest of the day, taking Frankie on two walks and channel surfing. Connor changes his outfit four different times. He’s not sure what you’re supposed to wear to watch your boyfriend sexually wreck your employee on camera after said coworker has said he thinks you’re hot.

Connor nearly jumps out of his skin when his phone chimes at 2:30 exactly. 

/Hey, I’m going to head in. We’re both about the same distance from Cyberlife, but on opposite sides. Do you want to just meet there?

He bites his lip, considering. He really doesn’t want to wander in alone and ask about where the Lieutenant is filming. Another text comes in before he can ask.

/I’ll wait for you, honey. You don’t have to go in alone, if that’s worrying you.

/You read my mind. Send me the address and I’ll meet you there. 

The address comes through directly after, and Connor assumes that no further messages means Hank is driving. He snatches up a cardigan, picks up Frankie in a quick and tight hug, and heads out before he can change his mind. Hank is leaning against his car, doing something with his phone when Connor pulls up alongside him. He feels marginally less nervous when he sees Hank beam at him and march around the car to open his door. 

“Hey, sweetheart.”

Connor doesn’t get a chance to reply before Hank is gently pressing him into the side of his car and giving another of those deep, slow, mind melting kisses that make Connor’s knees weak. He whimpers when Hank tugs on his lower lip as he pulls away.

“H-hello!” Connor squeaks, “Are um, are we going in?”

“Yeah, I just wanted to kiss you first.” Hank grins and holds his hand out, “Let’s go show you off.”

Connor feels like his brain is working on dial-up as he processes that.

“Show me off?”

Hank’s smile never falters as he opens the door for Connor, leading him into a plain but clean office area.

“Of course. You’re so handsome, everyone will want a piece of you.”

“Hank!”

Connor’s face is hot and he looks away as they reach the receptionist. 

“Well, hello, Connor!” An all too familiar voice says.

“Lucy?” Connor’s head snaps up at the sound of his step-mother’s voice.

“Fancy seeing you here.” She says, and Connor groans at the old joke. Lucy had married his mother, Amanda, when he and his brothers were still kids. They’d known she was blind, but she always caught them when they were being bad, so they had their doubts. She’d started to use it as a joke, saying things like this just to freak them out.

“I didn’t know you worked here.” He says in a rush, “I thought you had an office job?”

“I do!” Lucy says, smiling brightly. “I just never told you I was the secretary of a porn company. That seemed like something you boys wouldn’t want to hear.”

“I -” Connor stops himself, “You’re right. We definitely wouldn’t.”

“Now, before your bear sweeps you off to do God knows what, come give me a hug!”

Connor steps around the desk to sweep his step-mother into a tight hug. He feels himself relax slightly at the smell of her familiar perfume -vanilla and lavender- bringing back all those comforting feelings of childhood. He pulls back and realizes a dilemma. 

“Uh, Lucy? You won’t tell Mom about this, will you?”

She drops her head back and laughs, “Oh, baby, no! I won’t tell your mama you came into a porn studio. I don’t think she’d mind, but I think you would worry your pretty little head over it. And I don’t want you boys to have any more excuse to not come back to visit.”

Her eyes seem to meet Connor’s head on, and not for the first time, he gets the shivers. There’s no way she can physically see him, but Lucy’s always been able to  _ see _ her step children.

“We’ll be there for Dad’s birthday!”

“You better!” She gives his cheek a tiny, fond smack. “Hank, you take care of my boy, you hear?”

“LUCY!” Connor squeaks.

“Yes, ma’am! I’ve been nothing but sweet to him.” Hank says as he ushers Connor through the next set of doors with a hand on his lower back.

Hank introduces Connor to the crew, and Connor is ashamed at how shocked he is that they’re all normal people. He’s starting to relax until he hears Gavin’s voice ring out across set.

“Hey there, Boss!”

“Hey Gav!” Hank calls back, waving him over.

“Hello, Gavin.” Connor says awkwardly as he approaches. 

“Well, I don’t suppose there’s any chance you’ll be joining us, Connor?”

Connor’s heart skips a beat. “Uh, um. No. No, not today.”

“Hmm,” Gavin hums, smirking at him with a brow raised, “Maybe someday?”

“Watch it, Reed.” Hank warns and Connor feels calmer as he’s tugged tighter to Hank’s side. 

“Alright, gentlemen! Places, please!” Chloe calls. She makes eye contact with Connor and points to a soft chair Kamski is placing behind him. He nods.

“Baby,” Hank says, pulling him in by the hips and leaning to whisper in his ear, “I don’t want you to touch yourself. Can you be a good boy and just watch?”

Connor whimpers but nods. Hank gives him a quick kiss as reward before striding toward set. He can see the change from Hank to the Lieutenant. Connor loses track of the lead up to the action. It’s regular porn dialogue, something about Gavin’s character being too manly to take it up the ass. He really only starts to pay attention when Hank grabs him around the neck and shoves him into a wall. Gavin goes limp, breath shallow as he watches Hank. 

Hank leans in to slip one massive paw down the back of his pants and chuckles, “If you’re so afraid of taking it up the ass, then why is  _ this _ here?”

He yanks down Gavin’s pants as he whimpers and they pause for a moment while someone gets a close up of his ass. Connor can’t see, but he assumes that means he must be wearing a plug of some kind. The cameraman retreats and Hank grabs the plug, toying with it as Gavin writhes, still pinned by the neck. Hank rumbles some more mean comments at Gavin and Connor is intrigued by how much it seems to turn Gavin on. 

Eventually, when Gavin’s squirming back to meet each thrust, face red, Hank sets him down in a chair. The fake dining room sits adjacent to the living room where Connor assumes they’ll end up. As Hank yanks Gavin’s pants the rest of the way off, he pauses, digging around in the pockets until he produces a small remote. Gavin whimpers and looks away, but Hank grabs his face hard and forces him to maintain eye contact as he presses a button. 

The effect is immediate. Gavin cries out, loudly. A loud, repeated thudding sound fills the room as the vibrator makes contact with the chair. Gavin jumps up, legs shaking. There’s a quiet moment, and then everyone starts to snicker. Hank clicks the vibrator off and ruffles Gavin’s hair as he laughs. 

“Okay, everyone! Back to work! Let’s maybe, maybe,” Chloe snorts as she tries to reign in her laughter to remain professional, “Let’s go back and set him on the foot stool, Hank. Maybe it’ll be quieter there.”

Connor can’t help giggling, himself.  _ It’s nice, _ he thinks,  _ Nothing about this feels cold or impersonal or fake at all. _ It’s nothing like he’d expected from a porn company. Hank and Gavin settle into their spots and repeat the last part of the scene on the ottoman instead. This time, Gavin grips the sides of his seat, throws his head back, and gives a long, throaty moan. Almost as if this was something he’d waited his whole life for.

“You like that, tough guy?” Hank asks. He grabs a fistful of hair and pulls. Gavin’s moan turns into a whine.

“Please?”

“Please what?”

“Please fuck me?”

Hank gives him a shark grin and moves to the sofa behind him, jerking the foot stool closer so that he presses right up against Gavin’s back. He shoves a hand behind the cushions and pulls out a cylindrical object that makes Connor’s heart race. He knows exactly what it is, because he has (more than) one at home: a fleshlight. 

“Thought you didn’t want to be fucked? Thought you said you’d never bottom for anyone?”

Gavin leans back into him, turning to desperately mouth at his neck and whimper. Hank grabs the remote and holds it in front of Gavin’s face. He looks from Hank to the remote and back. With the press of a button, Gavin goes wild. His back arches and he yells out in surprise. Hank drops the little gadget in favor of wrapping an arm around Gavin and pulling him back flush against his chest. Gavin reaches out and digs his fingers into the legs bracketing him as he whines and squirms. Connor feels his cock throb as he imagines himself in Gavin’s place. Would Hank be that harsh with him? Would he make him beg to be fucked? Would he tease? When he feels a drop of spit at the corner of his mouth, he snaps it shut. He hadn’t even realized his mouth was open, much less that he could drool over this.

Hank warns Gavin to stay still and Gavin nods, hips twitching as he hides his face in Hank’s neck. Connor knows the feeling. Being with Hank is overwhelming, and sometimes you just need to hide to regroup. He finds himself staring at Gavin’s cock. It’s dripping wet, even untouched. Clutching the arms of his chair, Connor thinks about taking it into his mouth, about how much more wet he could make him. He snaps out of it as Hank calls out.

“Chloe! I can’t get the damn cap off! Who put this on here?”

He pushes Gavin up and off him while he works. Gavin sits up, legs spreading out as he leans forward to lightly hump against the ottoman. His mouth hangs open as he pants and Connor wants to put his fingers there. His eyes snap back to Gavin’s face to find him smirking at him, eyes dark. Connor flushes from head to toe and looks away. Someone from the staff comes forward with some olive oil to pour in the gap while Hank turns. It unscrews and Hank gives a “whoop!” of celebration. He wipes the oil off with the offered towel and settles back into his seat. 

Gavin falls back against Hank with a quiet thump and Hank reaches around him to unscrew the cap the rest of the way. Gavin whimpers, hips thrusting up.

“I’m gonna give you something to fuck, and then I’m going to turn this plug up all the way. Then, you’re gonna tell me which you like better: fucking or being fucked.”

“Please!” Gavin manages, squirming up higher to kiss Hank’s cheek.

With a growl, Hank grabs another fist of hair and yanks Gavin into a kiss that looks like more teeth than tongue. Gavin pulls away with red lips, eyes glazed. Connor squirms in his seat, pulling on his sweater in an effort to keep his hands to himself. Gavin is so rough at work, acting like taking orders is frustrating. To watch him absolutely melt under a firm hand is more arousing than he’d thought. 

Hank cranks up the vibe leaving Gavin moaning and squirming against him as he gets the fleshlight wet. He ignores the hands scrabbling at him to reach around and sink it down Gavin’s length in one go. Gavin screams; there’s no other word for it. Hank catches him by the throat before he can hunch forward like he wants to. He starts pumping his arm quickly and Connor has to bite back a moan of his own as he watches Gavin fall apart. It doesn’t take very long before Gavin is coming, arching his back again as he shakes. Hank clicks the vibe off and pulls the flesh/light off. He holds it right over Gavin. He whimpers when his own come starts to drip out onto his cock.

“So, which was better?”

“Both.” Gavin sighs.

“That’s a wrap! Good job, fellas!” Chloe calls.

Connor feels rooted to the spot as Hank and Gavin chat quietly, laughing amongst themselves as they clean up. He stands as Hank walks over.

“Hey, what did you think? I’d kiss you but I probably stink and -”

Hank’s noise of surprise is drowned as Connor pulls him down into a frantic kiss. He’s dazed when Connor lets him go.

“I need you to fuck me. How soon can we leave?”


	15. Chapter 15

Hank will never get used to Connor absolutely knocking the wind out of him with surprise. It’s been a very long time since someone made his head so pleasantly fuzzy just from a kiss and their words. He finds himself dazed every time Connor kisses him. 

“Uh,” He blunders, “I just need to clean up in the dressing room. Then we can go.”

Connor whines and presses himself against Hank, staring up with puppy dog eyes. “Hank, please. Fuck me here. Anywhere. I don’t care.”

“Oh, fuck.” Hank feels his brain melt out of his ears. Connor begins rocking gently against him as he waits for an answer. He can feel the stiff line of his cock pressing into his thigh. Hank would love to lay Connor out right here on set, but it’s already being swarmed with staff to tidy it up. He gulps and looks up to see if anyone is watching them, only to meet Gavin’s eyes. The man, now clad in loose sweatpants, only smirks at him and jerks his head toward the doors.

Hank threads his fingers with Connors and jerks him into a quick walk toward the dressing rooms. Connor whimpers and stumbles after him. As soon as they’re in the room, Connor is on him, rutting frantically into his thigh and burying his face in Hank’s chest. 

“Baby, hey!”Hank runs his hands down Connor’s back, watching him shiver at his touch. “Where’s the fire? Let’s calm down.”

“No!” Connor shoots back, soft eyes looking up at him, “Don’t want to calm down. I want your hands on me  _ now _ .”

Hank can feel how desperate Connor is by how he’s nearly vibrating under his hands. He pulls him in for a quick kiss and then shoves him backward over the arm of the sofa behind him. Connor yelps in surprise and watches Hank tug his shirt over his head, mouth falling open when he gets an eyeful of his torso. His legs fall open automatically and Hank can’t help his smirk.

“Thought I told you to be a good boy, Connor?”

“I was!” Connor snaps, pouting. “I didn’t touch myself at all! You promised a treat! You said you’d take care of me!”

“Aw, honey.” Hank says, leaning over the arm of the couch, “I plan to. Strip.”

If real life had sound effects, he’s sure there would be ripping and crashing noises filling the room. He ducks Connor’s boxers as he throws them at his face. He chuckles as he slips between Connor’s legs, pressing him back to the cushions with a hand on his chest. 

“Please touch me, Hank.” He whispers.

Hank gives one nipple a cruel twist to watch Connor cry out and arch into his palms. He’d happily stay here all day. Connor looks so good like this: desperate and beautiful and all for Hank. 

“Connor, tell me what you thought.” He pulls one of those lovely hands up to kiss each finger. “Tell me about how you felt watching us. I wanna hear it, baby. Look at you.”

Connor’s eyes are glazed over, glued to where Hank is now taking his fingers into his mouth. Hank can feel him spread them out, stroking his tongue, and he gently bites down on them. His boyfriend squirms under him, cock twitching.

“I -” Connor falters as Hank begins to suck, “At first it was just silly porn dialogue, but then you put your hand around Gavin’s neck and I got so hard.”

“Mmm,” Hank hums, pulling away from Connor’s fingers, “You liked watching me rough him up? Make him whine?”

“Yes! Hank, you look so fucking good when you’re in control. Wanted to be up there with you, doing what you told me to.”

Hank rips open a packet of lube from his pocket and slicks up Connor’s dick, body going hot when Connor moans.

“That so? Did you want to be in Gavin’s place?”

“Hank, I-”

“Or did you want to be up there with both of us?” He gets his answer in the form of an embarrassed whine as Connor throws an arm across his face. “Is that something you want, Con? You want me to tell someone how to fuck you? Or maybe you want me there to finger you open while you fuck them?”

Hank gives his dick a squeeze just on the right side of too much and Connor sobs, arm falling away to blink tearily up at him.

“Hey,” Hank says, easing up and cupping his cheek, “Baby, it’s okay. You can have whatever you want, Connor. I mean that. I’d give you anything.”

Connor tugs on his shoulder, and Hank goes easily. He swipes his hand clean on a blanket as he eases his weight on top of him. He pulls Connor’s legs to wrap around him, totally entwined. They get sidetracked with kissing for a few moments, hands petting over skin until things feel less urgent. Connor nudges their noses together when Hank pulls back and he can’t help the smile that splits his face.

“I do want that.” Connor rasps, “One day. I want everything with you.”

Hank feels like his heart skips a beat and he wonders if you can die from being too happy. He can feel those three words on the tip of his tongue, but he holds back. Connor’s been so sweet and good and understanding and he’s so great in general that Hank knows, he  _ knows _ even if he can’t say it yet. Even if he can’t admit it. Instead he kisses Connor again, trying to make him understand without words.

“You’re so good to me, Con. Not just for all this.” He gestures vaguely between the two of them, “But with everything. I look forward to seeing you and talking to you and listening to your goofy little laugh. And Cole thinks you’re the bees’ knees, which gives you his stamp of approval.”

Connor looks shocked, “Cole talks about me?”

“Yeah, he thinks Dr. Connor is super smart because he knows what’s wrong with  _ every _ animal  _ ever _ . And Dr. Connor’s brother is a clone. I can’t wait for him to meet your twin.” Hank chuckles.

“You want to meet my family?” Connor looks like he’s going to cry, but Hank suspects it’s not a bad thing.

“Of course I do, Con. I don’t intend to let you go, and I’d love to meet everyone you care about. I’m in this for the long haul.” He wants to say, “forever” but he doesn’t want to frighten Connor off.

Soft hands frame his face and he watches Connor give him a watery smile. He lets him stroke thumbs over his cheeks and trace his features with soft fingers. Hank reaches back and smoothes a hand down Connor’s thigh where it’s still wrapped around him just to hear him sigh softly in response. He fumbles for another lube packet - always prepared on set - and squeezes his hand under his belly to take Connor in hand again.

“Can I?”

“Whatever you want, baby. You’ve been so good.” He leans forward for a kiss when Connor whines and his hips jump. “Fuck my fist, honey. Come on.”

They lie there, tangled together as Connor rocks steadily into Hank’s hand. He drinks up all those perfect noises, kissing every part of him he can reach. He slowly becomes aware of being uncomfortable. Connor whines petulantly as he sits back on his heels to look down. His heart speeds up as he realizes /why/ his zipper is suddenly painful. He’s starting to chub up. Hank stares blankly at his own crotch, hands limp and brow furrowed. He can’t remember the last time he got hard. Sometime before Liza passed, he’s sure.

“Hank?” Connor asks, sitting up on his elbows. “What’s - oh!”

“I don’t know what to do.” Hank says, meeting his eyes.

Connor doesn’t look how he’d expected. He’s not ravenous or smug. Just considering.

“Do you want to do something about it?”

“I don’t think so?” Hank says, breathing a laugh at the absurdity of the whole situation. Who ever heard of a pornstar having a crisis about his dick actually  _ working _ ?

“Okay.” Connor says, not missing a beat. “Would you like to take your pants off to be more comfortable? I won’t touch you. I promise.”

“Yeah,” Hank replies, fumbling at his fly one handed, “This is really uncomfortable.”

Connor lays a hand over his, a smile quirking his lips.

“Why don’t you let someone without lube on their hands try?”

Hank nods and stands to let Connor help him step out of his pants. He doesn’t feel as exposed as he thought he might. He’s been down to his shirt and boxers in front of Connor before when he’s slept over. But now, in /just/ boxers with his unfortunately large trouser snake waking up, he feels slightly awkward. Connor reaches down to tug his shoes off and pull the last of the denim away. He tugs at the top of Hank’s socks and looks up with a raised eyebrow. Hank hops away.

“Socks stay  _ on _ during sex.” He says, trying to sound stern and missing by a mile.

Connor snorts and tugs him closer again by the leg. “Will you lay on me again? You’re heavy and comfy. I can scoot up so I don’t touch you, if you want.”

“No,” Hank says, kneeling back on the couch and pulling Connor close with a hand around his leg, “Want you as close as possible. Now, I wanna see you come.”

He feels that heat flash through him as Connor whines and bucks into Hank’s hand when it wraps around him again. Hank leans in to suck a nipple into his mouth, groaning when it makes Connor wrap his legs around him and fist his fingers in his hair. Connor is a livewire underneath him. He writhes and groans and tugs at Hank’s hair like it’s reigns and Hank lets him because he’s been so good.

“Can I? Hank, can I come? Please let me come!”

Hank pulls away from his chest with a last, lingering lick and starts to pump his hand. “Yeah, Con. Come for me. Let me see you, beautiful.”

Connor shouts a wounded sound and comes in great bursts across Hank’s fist. He jackknifes forward and in the shuffle, his come gets all over both of them, and somehow in Hank’s beard. When he finally flops back down panting, Hank pulls back to wipe his hand on the same blanket as before. He tugs it down to swipe at his chest and then Connor’s. His beard, he knows, is a lost cause. He gives it a good scrub anyway before he leans in to kiss Connor again. Connor hums contentedly into the kiss, wrapping his arms around Hank’s shoulders.

“I’m gonna hit the showers to get your come outta my beard.”

“Sorry,” Connor says, sheepishly.

“You can make up for it by coming with me. I’ll let you wash my beard, if you want.”Connor’s face lights up like Christmas and Hank takes that as a yes. “C’mon you weirdo, let’s get clean. We wouldn’t want Mrs. Lucy to see you in such a state.”

Connor freezes, face going pale. “Oh no. I forgot about Lucy.”

Hank laughs and pushes him toward the ensuite, “Don’t worry, honey. We’ll take the back exit.”


	16. Chapter 16

It’s two weeks before Connor gets a chance to see Hank again. Life things kept coming up between the two of them that kept them busy. Connor gets a goofy grin every time he gets a text. Gavin is sure to make fun of him about it when they’re at work. He’d been worried things would be awkward between them, but Gavin had just winked and said “You’re welcome!” and that was it. When Connor tried to bring it up again, he got a peppermint flicked into his face.

“Shut up, Boss!” Gavin had snickered, “It’s just work. I don’t want your bear. I’m not a one person kinda guy.”

He hadn’t said anything else but Connor could read the implication that he wouldn’t be opposed to having them both loud and clear. Choosing to ignore this insinuation rocketed them back to normal, and for that, he is deeply grateful. Connor is just pulling into his driveway when his phone begins to ring. 

“Perfect timing, as usual.” He grins as he digs it out of his pocket, but it isn’t Hank. “Leo?”

“Con, it’s - there was - Markus is hurt.”

“What? What’s going on?”

“We were downtown for a drink and some guy came up to him and started yelling about his relationship being unnatural and he just -” Leo cuts off and Connor can picture the way he frantically twists his beanie when he’s anxious.

“Leo, hey. Take a breath. I know this is hard but you need to tell me what’s going on so I can help. Where are you and Markus? Are you safe?”

“Yes, I called an ambulance. I’m at St. Augustine’s and they took him back. I don’t know what’s going on. Connor, I can’t  _ breathe _ .”

“I’m coming to you, okay? Deep breaths, remember what your therapist said. Markus is going to be okay. You did all the right things. Have you called anyone else?” Connor is already backing out of his driveway again, throwing gravel as he turns on his flashers and heads toward the hospital.

“No,” Leo says, and Connor can hear him pausing to breathe, “I can do that. I can. Just give me -”

“I’ll call everyone. Don’t worry about it. You just try to stay calm. I’ll be there soon. Hey, love you.”

“Love you,” Leo chokes and hangs up.

Connor’s mind is spinning out in ten different directions. He knew Markus was poly but he wasn’t aware he was currently in a relationship (relationships?). If his own family didn’t know, he wonders how the tabloids might have gotten wind of it. He’s always been incredibly careful. He got their father’s knack for art and tried to keep the Manfred-Stern name as polished as possible to the public eye now that he’s gotten nearly as famous as their dad. Connor shakes his head: none of that matters, right now. Mom and Dad can call the lawyers later to rain hellfire.

“Call Nines!” He barks at his phone, accelerating through a yellow light.

“Hey, Con!” Comes Nines’ voice, “I was thinking about calling you -”

“Leo called. Markus is hurt at St. Augustine’s. I don’t know the details right now other than someone attacked him. He hasn’t called anyone else yet and he doesn’t know what’s happening with Markus right now. I’m on my way to the hospital. Can you please call everyone else?”

There’s stunned silence for a moment and it makes Connor’s insides twist unpleasantly.

“Of course.” Nines says, and Connor recognizes the falsely cool and collected voice his brother puts on when he’s truly upset. “I’ll call them right now and Ophelia and I will meet you at the hospital shortly.”

Nines hangs up before Connor can tell him to be careful. He can feel his head buzzing, too worried and scared to focus on any one thought. His phone rings again before he can try and hone in on any of them.

“Hello?”

“Hey, honey! How was work?” Hank asks.

“It - I’m on the way to the hospital. Markus, my brother, someone attacked him. I don’t know.” A sudden thought slams into him and he’s filled with guilt, “Oh, no! Frankie! He’s at home and hasn’t been outside or fed! He probably saw me come home and leave! But I can’t go back. Leo needs me and -”

“Do you have a spare key, Con?” Hank interrupts, voice calm as anything.

“Yes, why?” Connor’s whole thought process is derailed.

“I’ll take care of Frankie, alright? I’ll let him out and feed him and give him some love. Then I’m going to come sit with you.”

Connor feels his heart thump hard against his ribcage, warmth seeping in to temper the fear. “Hank,  _ thank you _ . The key is under the smoking garden gnome in the backyard. Frankie’s food is under the sink. He only gets one scoop. Markus is at St. Augustine’s.”

“I’ll text you when I finish up with Frankie and you can tell me where you are.”

“I really can’t thank you enough.”

“You don’t have to. Connor, I -”

His phone beeps from another call. “Dad” flashes across the screen.

“Hank, this is my father. I have to go. Thank you so much. I’ll see you soon.”

Connor stays on the line with his dad until he reaches the hospital. Nines had called, but his father wouldn’t be happy with just a “heads up.” He keeps talking even when Amanda and Lucy wheel him out and into a car. Connor feels better to hear them all snarking at each other, even in a time like this. They finally hang up just before Amanda drives them through a (likely intentional) tunnel. Connor barely makes it out of the elevator doors before he gets an armful of his oldest brother. He smells horrible, like someone cracked open a beer on top of his head. Considering what he knows of his story, that’s probably likely. Just the same, he hugs Leo back before pulling him off and steering him back to a chair. 

“Okay, tell me what’s going on. You and Markus went for a drink. Someone attacked him.”

Leo takes a deep breath before responding, “Markus wanted to celebrate finishing his latest project. You know that sculpture he’s been whining about for months? We’d barely been in the bar for ten minutes. I made a joke and then this...drunk asshole showed up, screamed about Markus being in an unnatural relationship with multiple people. I tried to cut him off but he smashed his beer on me and he, he fucking stabbed Markus with the bottle shards. I panicked and punched him and he ran off. I hope I broke his nose.”

Connor sighs and pats Leo on the arm. It’s silent for a few minutes, and Connor finds he can’t stand it.

“What was the joke?”

“What?”

“You said you made a joke before all that. What was it?”

“Oh,” Leo huffs an embarrassed laugh, “I said that we should split a jack and coke. He could have the jack and I’ll take the coke. Y’know, because I’m clean.”

He snorts, covering his mouth. Leo starts that high pitched giggle he does when he’s finally calming down and Connor can’t help himself. Both of them are laughing, perhaps a little hysterically, when the elevator doors ding open and their parents step out. After hugs are handed out Leo begins his story again, but has to restart as Nines and Ophelia join the party followed directly by Silas. Silas, Connor notices, is wearing a shirt two sizes too large and definitely not his own. His hair is a mess and as he flops next to Connor, he smells un unfamiliar perfume.

“You seeing someone, Si?” He whispers.

“Maybe.” He says, smirking. 

Connor shakes his head and pulls his twin in for a hug. “As long as you’re happy.”

“Aw, you’re so gross and sweet.”

Leo finally gets the whole story out to the family converged just as the doctor emerges. Everyone sags in relief when he says that Markus is doing fine, but sleeping off the anaesthesia. Carl, Amanda, and Lucy head back to sit with him. Ophelia is showing Nines and Silas something on her phone, and Leo has, surprisingly, dug out a book to read. Connor finds himself slumped in his seat, gripping his phone and wishing he could talk to Hank. As if summoned, the elevator doors open again and Connor hears a shrill shriek of his name.

“Dr. Connor! We brought  _ balloons _ !” Cole comes skidding to a stop in front of him, thrusting a little fist toward him. A cloud of balloons are attached to the abundance of strings in his hand. 

“Cole! Quiet, buddy! Waiting rooms are quiet rooms, remember?”

“Thank you, Cole.” Connor manages before Hank yanks him up and into a strong hug.

“Hey, honey. Can I do anything for you?” He whispers in his ear.

“Being here is more than enough. Thank you.”

Connor pulls away, sniffing. “I’m sure Markus will love those, Cole. He’s still sleeping right now, but I’ll be sure to give them to him when he wakes up. You picked very nice ones. Gold is his favorite color.”

Cole scans the waiting room and waves excitedly at Nines and Ophelia. Connor sees the moment his eyes settle on Silas, because his mouth falls open. He tugs hard on Connor’s hand so he has to lean down.

“You  _ do _ have a clone!” He stage whispers, watching Silas with wide eyes. Silas smiles softly at him and gestures him over. Hank gives Cole a little push and he goes.

“Hello there,” Silas says, leaning forward. “Are you a friend of Connor’s?”

“Dr. Connor fixed Sumo.” Cole says as if that explains the whole situation, “How did Dr. Connor make you?”

Ophelia giggles to the side and Nines shushes her, biting back his own smile.

“Connor didn’t make me. We’re identical twins. We were born at the same time, and we look just alike.”

“Whoa!” Cole breathes, “Mr. Nines are you a twin, too?”

“No, Cole.” Nines says, “I was born after Connor and Silas. We just look very similar.”

“Pops!” Cole scream whispers back at Hank, “If I have another brother, will he look like me?”

Hank steps forward, “No, kiddo. Probably not. Not everyone looks like their siblings.”

“Our brothers Leo and Markus look very different.” Connor says, carefully slipping his arm through Hank’s. He doesn’t know what he’s told Cole, but he hasn’t seen Hank in two weeks and now Hank is  _ here _ and they brought a gift for his brother. He can’t  _ not _ touch him. Connor points at Leo, who waves.

“Hello!” He says, awkwardly. 

Cole loses interest in Nines and Silas in favor of grilling Leo on the book he was reading, which turned out to be a Star Wars novel. Leo slowly relaxes as they chat and Connor is glad everyone is distracted. He steers Hank to one of the couch seats and immediately situates himself under Hank’s arm. 

“Was Frankie okay?”

“He was just fine.” Hank gives him a squeeze, “Cole ran around with him outside for a while to tire him out and then we gave him a scoop of food and some fresh water. Cole was afraid he’d get lonely, so I turned your radio on low for him. I’ve still got your spare key, though. I figured I’d hang onto it, in case you were here for a while. Cole and I could take Frankie for a while, if you needed.”

Connor surges up to kiss him. Hank’s gone above and beyond already, and taking such care for his pup has him feeling some type of way. He leans his forehead against Hank’s. “Thank you, again. I’m sorry you had to meet my family like this.”

“Well, since it was less than ideal, maybe we’ll just all have to get together another time when your brother is feeling better.”

“Markus would appreciate it. I think you’ll like him. Some of his art seems so realistic you could fall into it. He’s not as serious as he looks though. I can’t believe anyone would attack him just for being poly, though. And we don’t even know his partners to let them know.”

He feels Hank stiffen and sits up, “Hank? What is it?”

“Connor, does Markus have the same last name?”

“No, he decided to keep Manfred, our father’s name. Why?”

“Oh, shit.” Hank suddenly scrambles in his pockets for his phone, “I know who his partners are. Well, one of them.”

Leo, Nines, and Silas all look up at this. Connor stares at Hank as he frantically dials.

“North? Hey. I’m at St. Augustine. You, Simon, and Josh need to get up here. Markus is here. He’s doing fine, now, but he was hurt and -” He stops and looks at his phone as the call ends. “Well, they’ll be here soon.”

Barely 15 minutes later, the door to the stairwell bursts open to reveal a redheaded woman panting like a bull, followed quickly by two men who look much more worn out.

“I told you,” The one in tweed pants, holding onto her arm for support, “the elevator would have gotten us here just as fast!”

The woman only snags his hand and the blond’s next to her and tugs them toward Hank and the rest of the Manfred-Stern clan. 

“Auntie North!” Cole chirps, running at her.

“Hey, lovebug.” She says, patting his back as he hugs her, “Hank, what’s going on?”

Leo turns to introduce himself and everyone else before filling them in. Nines asks a passing nurse if she would let their parents know that Markus’s partners have arrived and they’d like a turn to see him. As North, Simon, and Josh take their turn, Carl, Amanda, and Lucy start up a game of go fish with Cole, happy for a distraction. Silas keeps trying to help Cole cheat while Ophelia helps Lucy cheat. Carl and Amanda grumble good naturedly about it all.

“You know, I like your family, Con.” Hank says, watching them all with a soft smile on his face.

Connor feels the words bubbling up and knows he couldn’t stop them if he wanted to. 

“I love you.”

Hank snaps his head to Connor so fast, Connor’s worried he’ll need a doctor himself. Those pale blue eyes search his own, and then he splits into the biggest smile Connor’s ever seen.

“Take a walk with me?” He asks.

Connor, confused and slightly disappointed by the lack of reciprocation, agrees. As soon as the stairwell door shuts behind them, Hank is pushing him into a wall, holding his face in his hands.

“I love you so fucking much.”

Then his mouth is on Connor’s, and Connor’s heart  _ soars _ .


	17. Chapter 17

Hank and Cole show up on Connor’s doorstep several months later, small suitcase in tow. Connor’s smile when he opens the door quickly turns to confusion as he takes in Hank’s ruffled appearance, the suitcase, and Cole’s absorption into his handheld video game. 

“Hank, what - You - My parents only live across town! Why do you have a suitcase?”

“I couldn’t decide what we should wear!” Hank blusters, guiding Cole into the house with a hand at his back. He marches straight to Connor’s bedroom and throws open the suitcase, setting out outfit options.

“Hank, this is insane! It’s just barbecue!” Connor is laughing and one day Hank will see the humor, but right now he doesn’t.

“Connor,” He says, grabbing his boyfriend by the shoulders, “I want your parents to like me. And Cole. And we  _ have _ to wear the right clothes or things won’t go right. Help me pick.”

“Baby,” Connor says and Hank feels his face heat up, “They already know you. They’ve known you for months. They like you.”

“I just want to live up to their expectations for you. I regret putting off telling them until now.”

“I think they already know.” Connor says, examining the shirts and pants Hank has brought.

“Well, we haven’t officially told them. And, we haven’t told Cole. So, I wanted this to come off as...I don’t know, nice? I want us to look nice when they see me as your partner, Con.”

Connor reaches up and kisses Hank until he slumps forward, shoulders untensing. When Connor tries to pull away, Hank only jerks him into a tight hug, hiding his face in his neck. 

“I love you, Hank Anderson. And my family will love you, too. And Cole. I promise.”

“I love you, too.” Hank murmurs into Connor’s neck.

Connor pulls away and starts tossing clothes at Hank before pushing him toward the bathroom. When Hank emerges, he nods and calls for Cole. Once both Andersons are dressed, Connor insists that he drive and Hank pointedly tells Cole he can play his game until they get there. He wants to be able to hold Connor’s hand on the way, feeling comfort from his thumb rubbing soothing circles. 

Dinner at the Manfred-Stern estate goes well. Hank breathes a sigh of relief once he realizes that the dress code was indeed casual. He and Connor make their rounds among his family, meeting new partners as they go. Hank introduces Connor to North, who in turn introduces Josh and Simon. They’d met briefly at the hospital, but schedules had never aligned for everyone to be in the same place again. Markus shakes Hank’s hand and makes him blush when he says how glad he is to meet the man his baby brother has been talking about for so long. Connor starts to stutter out an excuse and drags Hank away to Nines, who has just walked in the door, a shorter man carrying a cake tray next to him.

“Nines! Hi!” Connor says, “And you must be Ben!”

“That’s me!” Ben says, shuffling the cake to shake his hand.

“Hank Anderson.” Hank says, holding his own hand out. 

“Good to see I’m not the only gray, old coot here.” He chuckles and Hank joins in. He’s secretly relieved, as well. 

Nines smacks him gently on the shoulder, “You’re  _ not _ old!”

Hank is about to ask about Ophelia when he hears a crack from the backyard and Cole’s excited screeching. It seems like she’s found the pitching machine. Everyone slowly trickles into the backyard where the grills, multiple grills all manned by catering staff, are all fired up. Hank’s sipping on a root beer when he feels two arms snake around his own, a chest pressing close against him.

“Hey there, big boy.” Purrs a voice very similar to Connor’s from a face /also/ very similar to Connor’s. “How about you and I sneak off for a quick treat?”

Hank snorts, enjoying the way the smirk falls off Silas’s face to be replaced with a pout. He lets go of Hank’s arm, huffing.

“I know my boyfriend, Silas. But good try. Besides,” he says, leaning over to whisper directly into his ear, “you couldn’t handle me.”

Silas looks offended for a moment before bursting into laughter. “You know what, Anderson? I like you.”

Hank watches, bewildered, as Silas slaps him good naturedly on the arm before he wanders off, texting rapidly on his phone. 

“What was that?”

Hank jumps as Connor appears on his other side, glaring daggers at his brother’s retreating back. Not wanting to stir up undue trouble, Hank aims for honesty.

“I think he was testing me. It didn’t work.” He reaches for Connor’s hand, squeezing to make him look, “I know my Connor.”

Connor smiles and Hank feels like he’s staring into the sun, but then that smile morphs into a smirk and he feels his heart begin to race. Without a word, Connor starts tugging him toward the house in a quick walk. Hank follows, trying not to look around and seem suspicious. He has an inkling of what he may be planning, and he doesn’t want to look anyone in the eye. Connor leads him through the house, through the kitchen, and into a large pantry. The light flips on when the door shuts and Hank has only a second to appreciate the glint in Connor’s eye as he stalks toward him. Any protest he might have had dies as soon as Connor kisses him. It’s rare that Connor is the more aggressive of the two and it makes his head spin out. He hopes he never stops being surprised by Connor, honestly. He can feel that he’s smashing the cereal boxes behind him as his partner whimpers and slips his fingers into Hank’s hair. Later, he’ll blame that clever little trick Connor does with his tongue on why he didn’t hear them coming.

“ _ Whoa _ !” Cole squeaks from atop Leo’s shoulders in the now open doorway.

“I second that.” Leo says, looking just as surprised. 

“Uh, well. L-Leo, um, Cole. You see...er.”

“Do I have to call you Dr. Dad, now?” Cole blurts.

“What?” Hank laughs.

“If Dr. Connor is gonna be my new dad, do I have to call him Dr. Dad or just Dad? I need to know, Pops.” Cole doesn’t look upset, just determined.

“Whoa, who said anything about Connor being your new dad?” Hank backtracks, chuckling awkwardly. 

“Oh,” Connor says quietly to the floor, “I wouldn’t mind, one day. Not yet but um. You know.”

Hank gapes at him and Connor bites his lip. 

“We’re waiting for an answer, Dr. Connor!” Leo says, tapping his wrist where a watch would be. Cole giggles.

“How about you call me Connor for now, and we’ll talk about ‘Dad’ at a later time. Deal?”

Cole shrugs, “Okay. Leo, can I have a Pop/tart now?”

In the end, Connor was right. They didn’t have to announce their relationship to anyone. Partly because they all knew, and partly because Cole shouted the news at the top of his lungs as soon as he and Leo made it back to the yard. Hank’s never seen Connor blush quite so bright as when his parents insist on a toast to the new relationship. 

Later in the evening, Hank and Connor sit together in the cool grass and watch Markus and his partners play an intense game of tag with Cole and Ophelia. Connor leans into Hank.

“See, Hank? I told you everything would be fine.”

“Yeah,” Hank says, dropping a kiss in those dark curls, “Everything’s just perfect.”


End file.
